A Quarian's Tale
by beta111
Summary: Ivea'Liak nar Lavenya is the head mechanic on his liveship but that all changed when he was pushed onto a Pilgrimage he didn't even want to take. Now Ivea will be involved in a struggle for the fate of the galaxy and bringing down the terrorists Cerberus
1. Chapter 1: The Pilgrimage

**A/N: Just a quick note this series may be a bit slow to update due to my other Mass Effect series and also my other series' that I'm doing probably biting off more than I can chew I know but this idea just won't go away! So without further ado: A Quarian's Tale**

It was a loud day as usual aboard the Lavenya, the liveship which served at the rear of the Migrant Fleet. It was one of the oldest ships in the fleet which meant it was almost constantly in a state of disrepair and required maintenance constantly.

Down in the bowels of the ship, near the core, a squad of four Quarians, three males and one female, crawled through the maintenance ducts cleaning and repairing the many parts found within. Due to the tight quarters in the ducts the Quarians had to crawl around on all fours but because of their living conditions they had to adjust to being so near so they managed to fit as many as two beside each other.

The front two were males with a male and female trailing behind.

"Aerz you and Zan keep going. Rana and I will hang back here and fix this fuel coupling." The Quarian male in the back ordered. He was the head of engineering, at least in this section of the ship. His name was Ivea'Liak nar Lavenya.

Zan looked back at Ivea and gave a stiff nod then turned and led his partner off.

"Alright Rana let's-" Ivea began but was cut off by his omni-tool beeping. He looked down and pressed the button to open the comm channel.

"_Ivea, one of the air transfer couplings are showing erratic readings. Get someone down there before we kill half the ship." _The channel closed. Even though he led this section he still reported to his superior who monitored the whole ship. Just that fact alone was something to admire of the man due to the vast number of systems there were yet he watched them all by himself.

The omni-tool faded away as Ivea tapped his visor a moment bringing a mental version of the ship's ducts before his eyes.

"Rana take duct 13 to 23 to life support and check the coupling seal." Rana nodded and crawled off.

After hours of repairing and monitoring Ivea finally crawled out of the ducts and arched his back with a groan of displeasure. He heard footsteps behind him and looked to see Rana.

Outside the ducts he could finally get a good look at her. She had white armor plates with purple cloths. Her visor was a hazy blue with her bright white eyes customary to the Quarians behind it.

"Rana, what can I do for you?" Ivea asked, turning while wiping some of the grease that splattered on his visor.

"The coupling's fine it was just a faulty sensor, I applied some omni-gel which conveniently enough did the trick." She said which Ivea gave a nod in acknowledgment to. She still stood before him and shifted on her feet which Ivea picked up on immediately. Being inside these suits all Quarians could recognize body language better than any other species in the galaxy.

"What else?" He asked as he brought his omni-tool up and began typing on it, correcting readings and calculating how best to preserve power. Normally doing such a thing in the middle of conversation was very rude but here on the Lavenya Ivea was always trying to find the best ways to improve power distributions and fuel management.

Ivea's omni-tool was not like other omni-tool's. For one it was blue which could be done with any other by changing the settings but what made this one so special is that he had made it himself as a child. His father was the one who went out and found the parts for him and sat over his shoulder the nights Ivea had spent building it. It was the one memory he had of his father who had died later when a section of the ship had collapsed due to a fuel line exploding.

"Well you're always working Ivea and you never take a brake and just put down your omni-tool down and just talk." Rana explained cocking her head to the side and looking down while shifting in place. Ivea looked up blinking and chuckled saving his data and closing the omni-tool.

"Sorry about that just keep finding one thing to improve then another and I just can't put it down." Ivea explained chuckling causing Rana to look up and give a laugh of her own...

"You're the one man I know who does more on this ship than anyone Ivea, you deserve to take a break. Also the Captain has…erm requested to see you." Ivea's body froze over as he blinked.

"M-Me?" He whispered. Rana stiffly nodded. No one saw the Captain unless you had done something wrong. Ivea immediately began running through everything he'd done that week looking for a fault, anything. He could find nothing he had done wrong and swallowed hard.

"I had better get going then, bad idea to make him wait eh?" Ivea weakly said clearing his throat. Rana stepped sideways and motioned for him to start walking. He nodded in thanks and walked down the corridor with Rana beside him.

"I figure I might as well make sure you don't run off." She said chuckling weakly. She knew as well as him that it was always bad to be called to the Captain.

"Thank you Rana I…uh I appreciate it." He couldn't help but be nervous about the whole thing.

Ivea stood up straight as he stood on the bridge of the Lavenya with Rana beside him. The Captain stood with his back to the two with a straight posture and his hand clasped behind him. The bridge itself was filled with Quarians all monitoring the systems that Ivea's superior also monitored. The men and women on the bridge more double checked his reading than anything.

After what felt like an eternity the Captain finally turned to face the two.

"Thank you Rana you may go." The Captain said with a nod to her. Rand nodded in return and offered one final glance to Ivea before leaving the bridge.

"Ivea'Liak greetings, this is indeed our first meeting but I am proud to inform you that today you will board a shuttle that will take you to a destination of your choosing for you to begin your Pilgrimage." Ivea stood in place, his feet glued to the ground and his face with an expression of utter shock.

"I…erm sir may I?" Ivea requested. The Captain nodded.

"I say this with all respect sir but…must I really leave the Lavenya?" He saw the eyes of the Captain narrow, not in anger but confusion so Ivea explained hastily.

"Well I mean…um without me here I'm worried that the maintenance won't be at top condition." The Captain raised a hand up which shortly returned to his back.

"I understand your concern Ivea'Liak but you needn't worry. We've been training someone to take over in your stead and he will begin today shortly after your departure." Ivea contained his shock and stayed stiff. _I'm being…replaced? _

"Captain I…this is my home!" He couldn't repress his sadness back any longer and almost pleaded to the Captain.

"Ivea'Liak this is the duty of all Quarians who grow of age. Your duty here on the Lavenya is over. We thank you for all you've done for us but now it's time for you to serve the Fleet. You will depart at 16:00 so I suggest you ready yourself. Keelah Se'lai." With that the Captain turned his back showing the conversation was _over_.

Ivea looked down and felt tears wetting his eyes. He was being forced from his home by a Captain who didn't care about him as an individual. Such was the Quarian way ofcourse. The Admirals cared only for the Fleet not of the individual people in it.

Sighing quietly in defeat Ivea turned and left the bridge. The moment he walked out the door he saw Rana leaning against the wall to his right. She looked down at the ground with sadness evident.

"I heard it all…I can't believe you're being forced out…I'm sorry Ivea." She whispered. The tears were streaking down his cheeks now and he answered with a simple nod.

At last he cleared his throat and said a simple goodbye, "Thank you Rana for…everything." Then he walked off to his quarters. Rana was the one friend he had and now he was being forced to leave her behind.

Once he got to the living area of the ship he looked down the rows of small ten by ten cubes that were shared by three to four Quarians at a time. The only privacy they received was a waist high piece of cloth that hung within the doorways.

Ivea finally located his quarters and swept the cloth to the side and entered. There was no one here because there were still many duties to perform around the ship and the other three Quarians he shared the room with were also mechanics.

Ivea climbed to the top bunk which was his and reached under his pillow. In his hands was the blue M-3 Predator which he had made in his early teens. He had made it where he maximized the damage output while also optimizing the heat management. The only downside was it was a very heavy weapon, meaning any other weapon just couldn't be carried at the same time.

He climbed down with a sigh and took a deep breath. The air was filtered through his mask however and he received only the sterilized empty smelless air. _This damn mask…_He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps behind him and a woman gasping. He turned and saw his sister Liva.

"Li-" He couldn't finish his sentence before she ran over and hugged him tightly. She was about three years younger than him.

"I haven't seen you in so long! What are you doing here? Sleeping on the job isn't like you…why do you have your pistol?" She asked, her voice suddenly becoming quiet. She knew the answer before he told her but asked anyway.

"I'm being sent out on the Pilgrimage…against my own wishes." Ivea whispered shaking his head. Liva looked down but held him tightly.

"Come back and visit? Message me often or I'll find you!" She warned earning a chuckle from him.

"I will." He whispered hugging her back.

Ivea stood in the doorway of the Kodiak shuttle looking out at Liva and Rana. He gave a final wave before he went inside and took a seat. The door hissed shut and the pilot's voice crackled through the intercom.

"_Where do you wish to go Ivea'Liak?" _Ivea thought a moment then smiled.

"The Citadel please." His stomach dropped as the shuttle lifted upwards and zoomed out of the Lavenya. Ivea leaned forward and watched the Fleet…his _home _grow smaller and smaller before they hit the Mass Relay. He sighed quietly leaning back. _Well at least this way I could probably get some different nutrient paste. Maybe I could even _see _a human! Imagine that! _Suddenly Ivea grew excited for the coming trip.


	2. Chapter 2: The Troubles of a Quarian

The moment Ivea stepped foot on the Citadel he couldn't help but let out a gasp of complete shock. There were so many species just in this one docking bay! Asari, Turian, Human, even a Hanar! All of them waiting in line to gain access to the Citadel.

As Ivea looked around with wonder his eyes automatically went to one of the nearby docked ships. It was an Alliance frigate, no doubt ready in case of an emergency situation.

Ivea had never been to the Citadel but he had heard the news of the battle that had occurred here. The Geth had invaded and ever since the Citadel had been ready to jump at a moments notice. _Speaking of the Geth…_ Ivea thought to himself as he saw the C-Sec officers, Human and Turian, that had been standing at the welcome counter now walking toward him.

He didn't need to see them; he felt their eyes on him the moment he set foot off the shuttle. He heard about this from other Quarians who had returned from Pilgrimage. All they saw was the suit and that was all they needed to think you were a beggar or thief. Ivea knew what would come next as he stood there waiting for the two officers to pull him out of the line he stood in for entry to the Citadel.

"Excuse me _sir_ but we'd like to pull you aside for a…random screening." Sure enough there they were, standing on both sides of Ivea with their weapons set to fire.

Letting loose a silent sigh he gave a small nod and followed the Turian. He could feel the stares from the people in line as well. Humiliating. That is the only way to describe it. He was pulled away from the others simply because he was a Quarian.

The officers lead him through the terminal and into the main office where they made sure everyone was who they said they were. But that was not their stop, they turned left and lead him through the door and into a small dimly lit room which was labeled on the outside as 'Interrogation 01'. There was a single table with three chairs in the center of the room, one chair on one side two on the other.

As Ivea took a seat in the single chair he felt his heart pounding against his chest. His visor flashed warnings of his accelerated heart rate which he swiftly deactivated. The two officers sat their guns down beside them leaning against their chairs as they sat down across from Ivea.

"W…What do you want?" Ivea attempted to sound fearless but failed, miserably.

The Turian arched a plate as he glanced over to the Human. Without missing a beat the Human began.

"So why are you here Quarian?" Ivea swallowed hard as he played with his hands.

"I'm on Pilgrimage." He replied quieter than he had wished.

"Really? And what gift will you bring to the Fleet?" The Human asked leaning forward.

"I…I'm not sure. I haven't really thought about it." The Human grunted in a manner that told Ivea he didn't buy it. The Turian besides the Human shifted in his seat drawing Ivea's attention.

In that single moment Ivea learned everything about that Turian. _Impatient, Eager, Bored. _So Ivea decided to go on the offensive now.

"Officers I know you have better things to do as do I and if I'm not being charged with anything I'll just be on my way through customs." Ivea said standing up and waiting for the Human whose brows furrowed. He was about to voice otherwise but the Turian officer nudged his side. When the man looked over the Turian gave a nod. The man let out a sigh and nodded as well.

"Alright you're free to go, hope the rest of your stay is less confrontational." Ivea nodded and left out the door. The moment the door closed behind him he let out a giant breath he'd been holding in as his knees began to shake. This would be something that he would not soon forget.

Not even ten minutes later had Ivea found himself looking down the barrel of an M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle. Once more his heart was pounding within his chest.

"I'm not looking for any trouble I'm just here on-" Ivea was cut off as the butt of another rifle struck him in the back of the head. He fell into a heap on the ground groaning and grabbing where he was struck.

His vision swam as the voices sounded as though they were far off.

"You just came here on Pilgrimage right? You Quarians are all the same." The Human who came up behind him spat. Then without any warning shot Ivea twice in the side. As Ivea screamed in pain the Human laughed.

"Oi, reckon we should get 'is mask off, watch 'im squirm?" The man who held a gun to Ivea originally asked with a horrid grin. The breath in Ivea's throat suddenly was caught. If that visor were taken off…Ivea would die a slow and awfully painful death.

"N…No please…I'll do anything." He groaned as he tried to get up on all fours but was stomped back down by the man kicking him between his shoulder blades.

"Shut it suit!" The man who kicked me down hissed. Ivea attempted to blink and clear his vision when he saw a hand over his visor which he knew belonged to the Human. He squeezed his eyes shut when he suddenly heard a gun shut and the man screaming in pain.

"Drop your weapon and step away from the Quarian!" Ivea recognized the voice as a Human female's.

"Bloody hell! You know how much that hurt you bitch!" The man hissed grabbing his arm. The woman who shot him narrowed her eyes and kept her gaze locked upon the two armored thugs.

"You have no idea who you're messing with little girl." The man's companion said as they turned and walked away.

Ivea coughed in pain as he felt his suit sealing off the punctures from the gun shots.

"Th…Thanks. I'm-" He began attempting to stand but fell back to the ground with a grunt. The woman rushed over by him and looked him over.

"Don't try and talk you have two shots to the torso looks like one in the stomach and one in the lung…I'm gonna get you to a doctor just hold on!" She urged but her voice sounded as though it were echoing in a hallway. He tried to open his mouth and speak but no words came and just breathing alone burned like nothing he'd ever felt.

Before he knew it he fell to the depths of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3: Humans

Ivea slowly began to open his eyes but was met with a wall of pain. He grunted loudly as he tried to sit upright.

"Whoa now! Just lay back down, your body's not fully healed yet. Doctor Michel!" Ivea could hear a female yelling out to a Doctor but he didn't know who this woman was.

With his vision swimming so badly he couldn't make anything but smudgy figures out he simply laid in place in wait of the Doctor.

"He's awake? My that was a fast recovery. Alright let's see here…" The Doctor's voice was so thick with accent that Ivea couldn't hope to understand what the woman was saying. He could feel her hands probing the areas where he was shot.

"My word, he's already fully healed. Infection's minor. I think he's made a full recovery, thanks largely to his suit I'm sure. It's been a while since I've seen a Quarian before." The woman said almost as though she were in awe. Under any other instance Ivea would've probably blushed under his visor.

"Alright you should be fine to stand up now." The Doctor finally said as she stepped back. Gradually Ivea's vision began to return as he sat upright on the table and swung his legs over the edge.

"I…Thank you." He groaned putting a hand to his visor. As he continued to blink his vision became clearer and clearer. When he looked back up he saw two Human women before him, the Doctor to the right and another to her left.

The Doctor had short red hair with sharp facial features and wore red and white clothes which Ivea believed Human doctors wore as a custom.

"Doctor?" He asked to make sure. When she nodded he continued, "Thank you for all you've done. I'm in your debt." The doctor let out a chuckle and waved her hand.

"Nonsense, I'm just glad you survived. Wouldn't do for you to think all us Humans are thugs eh?" Ivea blinked struggling to understand her through her accent. After a few seconds he finally comprehended what she said.

"Ah, yes thank you again. I'm actually fascinated with you Humans." He said with a chuckle. Then his attention went to the woman standing beside the Doctor.

The Human had dark brown hair tied what looked to be tightly behind her head. Her skin was an almost pale white with a hint of tan in it undoubtedly from being on a ship for extended periods of time. She had a curvy frame and a very strong stance. Everything about the way she stood and the very air around her seemed to emanate with a feeling of power and she could use it.

The clothing she wore was a navy blue with the sleeves of the shirt rolled up to the elbows and black combat boots. Ivea eyed the clothes for a split second and noticed the Systems Alliance symbol on the shoulder. _So it's a standard military wear then? She also appears to be a marine. _

"I'm…sorry but I don't know who you are…Ms. is the term?" Ivea was embarrassed but he hadn't exactly studied the Human language and what to call one you're unfamiliar with.

But the woman seemed…amused? This puzzled Ivea more than he could explain.

"I…I'm sorry did I offend you?" He quickly stammered out. He felt his body heating up as he began to rub the back of his helmet nervously.

"Oh no, sorry I've just never been asked that before. Yeah with anyone else Ms. is correct but you can call me Sam." The woman said with a smile. Ivea blinked and cleared his throat.

"Oh ah yes…Sam. Do I er…know you?" He asked shifting unsteadily on his feet. _Keelah good thing she's not a Quarian. That shift would've given me away! _But then he saw that she _had _noticed the shift in his stance. He narrowed his eyes as though it would allow him to see into her mind.

"Yeah I'm the one who pulled your ass outta that alley." She reached her hand out causing Ivea to look at her hand then up at her. Before he could ask she explained, "Oh yeah not used to Humans, just grab my hand and shake."

Ivea blinked in surprise. "G…Grab your hand? Keelah I've only just met you and…" She was laughing _again_! Ivea couldn't see what was funny about him not wanting to rush into anything!

"Damn this is gonna take a while to get used to huh? It's a Human custom to shake hands when you meet someone new." Slowly and hesitantly Ivea reached up and grabbed her hand as they both shook.

"I'm sorry it's just that…touching another Quarian is a very…_intimate _thing." He awkwardly put emphasis on intimate. Sam chuckled this time rather than full out laughing.

"It's just a hand shake doesn't mean I wanna get in the sack with you." Ivea frowned in confusion.

"What does a sack have to do with touching?" She sighed rubbing her forehead.

"This is definitely going to take a while. Didn't catch your name by the way." Before he asked anything he pushed aside his new confusion as to how she intended to grab his name. _Probably a human thing. _

"My name is Ivea'Liak nar Lavenya." Her expression was…strange. Almost at though it were twisted.

"That's a hell of a mouthful, what's your first name?" A sigh escaped his lips which was quiet enough for his visor to not pick up on it.

"First name? Erm…well Ivea did come first so…that I'd assume." Her face seemed to return to normal then smile as she nodded. _Humans have very strange faces… _

"I can do that, Ivia." He couldn't help but wince at the butchery of his name.

"Erm…not quite. Eiveeeeeya." He pronounced slowly then motioned for her to repeat.

"Ivea?" He let out a laugh before he could contain it.

"Great! Now I should uh probably go…somewhere." He sighed at the end realizing he had no idea _where _to go for this stupid Pilgrimage. Sam seemed to pick up on it immediately.

"I can't have you go out there and get yourself shot again Evya. You're gonna come with me and my friends." Ivea sighed as she butchered his name once more.

"We'll have to work on the name." He said shaking his head. She shrugged with her face seeming to twist again but only with one corner of her mouth. _They have so many expressions! _Ivea turned to the Doctor and held out his hand. She smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you again Ms. Michel without your help I'd probably be…not well off." He shuddered to think of it. Michel replied with a simple 'No problem' then Sam dragged Ivea outside the clinic.

Once more he stood in awe at the sheer number of species around here and yet no one seemed to notice.

"C'mon they should be waiting at Flux." She waved him forward as she began to walk. He jogged a couple of steps then walked beside her.

"Won't your Captain be angry if you bring some Quarian with you?" Ivea asked looking around at all the people, the lights, the shops, everything! As much as he didn't want to admit it it was great to be out of the cramped ship and out in all this activity!

"Nah I'm on shore leave right now. So I've got a few days. Lucky you. Or unlucky you since you're gonna be dragged around by a group of hard core marine women eh?" Honestly Ivea was frightened. Not for violence but of just how completely different these Humans seemed to be from Quarians. But at the same time it was also exciting. Little had Ivea known just what a club like Flux was really like.


	4. Chapter 4: Flux

**A/N: Well first and foremost I'd like to thank the reviews I've received they turned my frown upside down today I'd tell you guys that but my messages don't wanna go through so this'll do.**

After a long while of Sam pulling Ivea along they finally arrived at the front stairs to the booming nightclub of Flux. At the top of the stairs and before the doors to the club were two more females who wore the same clothing that Sam did. The woman standing to the left had brown hair and eyes that appeared sharp and observant. The woman beside her had bright blonde hair that looked as though she had made it that way herself. She was looking around as though she were bored.

When the blonde haired woman spotted Sam she waved and yelled louder than necessary, "Sam! Hurry up we've been waiting forever!"

Sam smiled and waved back finally releasing Ivea's arm and motioned for him to follow her up the steps. Ivea gulped as he began to climb the stairs and could _feel _their eyes upon him.

"Sam what…is that?" The blonde haired woman asked genuinely confused as to what species Ivea was. When the reached the top Sam shot the woman a look of sheer wonder at the woman's stupidity.

"A Quarian, probably out on Pilgrimage." The one to the left of the blonde woman finally said. Her voice was deeper than the other two and her stance was one of power as Sam's was but one that was less than Sam's.

"I…yes I'm on Pilgrimage." Ivea finally replied in a voice that if not for his helmet naturally increasing his voice's volume would've been a whisper.

"Well before Lucy here decides to be a dumbass again let's go inside and grab a table." Sam said and waved the other two to lead. When they did Ivea and Sam walked in side by side.

"Don't let the girls intimidate you; they're just like any other person." Sam whispered. Ivea chuckled nervously.

"I don't exactly have much experience with Humans aside from Doctor Michel and you." She chuckled herself and nodded.

"That's true. With the music here they probably won't hear you anyway."

Sure enough the moment the doors opened it was like Ivea was hit with a wave of sound. The music was deafening and the building packed so tightly people could hardly walk. His helmet automatically turned down the volume of the sound it takes in but Ivea had turned it back up. He wanted to hear the full effect as the Humans did.

He looked around in awe of how welcome a change this was as opposed to the other part of the Citadel. This club reminded Ivea of being in the Fleet again. Crammed quarters filled to capacity and zero privacy.

The group pushed through the crowd to one of the out lying tables and sat down. Sam beside Ivea and the other two sitting across them with Lucy across from Ivea.

"So why do you wear that suit?" Lucy yelled over the music. Ivea had to stop himself from shaking his head at how little this woman knew. _Not everyone knows of Quarians._

"Well a long time ago we lived on the home planet of Rannoch where we lived outside of our suits. That had changed however when we built the Geth to be our slave labor and they turned on us. They destroyed all but 1% of our people but even then…life inside of a suit is a terrible existence. We cannot smell anything but filtered air and-" Before he could continue Lucy yawned and announced,

"That's really boring!" Ivea blinked then looked down at his hands, which were placed on the table, as his face felt as though it were on fire. He now stayed silent still staring at his hands.

"Lucy!" Sam yelled as she glared at the woman.

"What? It was!" Lucy sighed seeing that Sam would have none of it and got up then went toward the dance floor.

"Forget about her Ivea, she's just not used to dealing with non-Alliance." Ivea looked up at Sam with a smile but realized she couldn't see it and sighed quietly.

"You pronounced my name right that time, good job." He said with a laugh. Now she smiled but he felt the other woman watching him.

"Don't base your views of Humans after her Ivea." She finally said causing him to look over at her. "I'm Kaitlyn." She said with a firm nod. Ivea now saw she had a firm jaw line and facial structure all together. The stance she earlier had of less strength may have been her feigning it. _To get an edge over someone? She's definitely an intelligent Human._

Ivea nodded back and replied, "I'm Ivea'Liak nar Lavenya." She reached out her hand which he now knew was for him to shake. After they did so the two women received drinks and before Ivea was a silver cylinder with a pink glow coming from within. The glow was to hide the actual sludge inside which was a dark grey/white mix. It tasted as bad as it looked.

Once Sam downed her drink she looked over with a puzzled look on her face. Immediately seeing it he explained it to her.

"It's a nutrient paste, sterilized for Quarians and meant for Dextro-protein species." Thankfully she knew what Dextro-protein meant; Ivea honestly didn't feel like explaining the fluids Quarians were made of. He actually wished he was able to have alcohol but his body wouldn't be able to handle processing it. Instead he disconnected a hose from the underside of his helmet and stabbed it into the top of the tube. He slurped down the sludge and forced it down his throat. He envied Humans more than he could express.

Seeing him looking down at the table Sam patted him on the shoulder then smiled when he looked over.

"Cheer up we've only got tonight and tomorrow left of shore leave." She yelled over the music and downed another bright glowing pink drink with a satisfied 'ahhh'. He gave a nod but disconnected the nutrient paste with a frown. When their server finally came around he tapped the young Asari on the shoulder.

"I'd like your strongest Turian Ale purified please." The Asari looked at him a moment then nodded with a smile as she went off. Tonight Ivea was determined to have fun…even if it killed him.

As Ivea finished his second tube his head felt as though the world were spinning and his speech was noticeably slurred. This being the first time he'd ever had alcohol he had no idea just what was going on but wasn't frightened by it however.

"All I'm shaying is that your QHuman fingers are so shmall an you have so many!" He whispered in wonder comparing Sam's fingers to his slim yet much stronger three.

"Noooo you Quariansh have weird ones. You only hash three!" She shot back just as tipsy as he was. Ivea sighed and shook his head.

"No no, Krogans, Turians, Salarians, Quarians. All of them have three but you guys and your fancy Asaris have FIVE!" He explained as Sam roared with laughter. Kaitlyn had long since gone to drag Lucy to where they were staying. Due to Quarians and their naturally bigger and more muscular build than Humans the effects of the alcohol wore off from Ivea causing him to realize his hand was still on Sam's He quickly removed it and coughed nervously.

"S…Sorry I wasn't thinking clearly and…" He looked back over and saw she was out like a light. He sighed with relief but realized that he'd have to carry her to the hotel room they told him about. His face was aflame once more as he gulped and slowly got out of his chair. _Humans are fine with contact it's perfectly fine. You're just helping her to her room. It's the least you can do after her saving you from getting…killed._

Pushing the grim thought aside he hoisted her over his shoulder and walked out of the booming club. His ears rang in the seemingly empty halls which were much much quieter than Flux.

As he walked through the streets he got very strange looks from the many people passing by. _Well a Quarian with a Human woman over his shoulder is bound to get some looks. _He chuckled quietly just now realizing the situation he found himself in. _Rana would pop a suit seal if she saw this. _Then he suddenly felt very homesick. He missed Rana and working on the Lavenya. He shook his head and pushed the thought aside as he found himself before the hotel. It was located in the wards so it wasn't the nicest around but it was a place to stay. Better than what many Quarians on Pilgrimage got from what he'd heard.

As he went inside he found himself standing before a short counter with a Volus behind it. He looked up at Ivea and if he was shocked at all, he didn't show it.

"Do you have a room?" He asked with the most uninterested voice possible given the situation.

"Ah yes room 10b." Ivea said recounting the conversation Sam and Kaitlyn had at the table. Well it was more Sam talking and Kaitlyn listening. Kaitlyn wasn't much of a talker but more of an observer. _She wouldn't fit in with the Fleet. _

The Volus handed Ivea the card to the room and went back to his terminal.

Ivea quickly found the room and swiped the card. When the door slid open he was met by the barrel of a pistol in his visor. He froze over as he felt the same fear for the third time today. _Or was it yesterday? _The pistol fell down to the owner's side then was holstered as Ivea saw Kaitlyn.

"Sorry, wasn't expecting company. Lucy's on the bed put Sam on the other." Ivea nodded with a gulp and attempted to slow his breathing as he walked into the room.

It was like any other room you'd see. Had two beds and a bathroom to the left. The screen on the wall was only about 60 inches. Seeing Lucy on the nearest bed Ivea went over to the far one and gingerly laid her down. She seemed to sleep peacefully as she laid there. Ivea looked at her legs and couldn't help but glance down at his. _You Humans are just different in every way. _He went into the corner and sat down on the floor.

"You can sleep on the pullout couch if you want." He heard Kaitlyn across the room but shook his head.

"No I don't want to take up any space. Besides I'm fine here really." She looked at him a moment then slowly nodded and laid down beside Lucy.

Ivea closed his eyes but was unable to sleep. Whether it was just today he arrived on the Citadel or yesterday so much had happened to him. He felt as though his life was already so much more different. _I think I might be starting to understand why we go on this Pilgrimage. _

Eventually before he knew it he was off to sleep and dreaming about being back on the Lavenya.

Within an almost pitch black room lit only by a dying sun out of the viewport a man wearing one of the most exquisite suits that credits could buy sat in a three legged chair. The chair had two armrests with an ashtray on the left and a cup holder on the right. The man sitting in this chair however used neither. He always held his glass filled with expensive liquor and his cigarette or leaving it in his mouth.

It was a habit he had picked up for when he was deep in thinking, or nervous. It was almost always the former however. As he stared out at the dying star he waited. He often waited but now he waited nervously. He didn't like to be nervous or to wait, so today was a bad day for him.

Finally a holographic keypad popped up to his right and beeped indicating a call. He pressed the receive button and waited a moment as he took a long drag of his cigarette.

"_Another colony down sir. We've received new reports of a Turian colony established within Han cluster of the Gemini Sigma system. Orders?" _The man on the other end waited patiently. The one receiving the call had forced this into his soldiers but often times didn't even need to, many people knew by reputation he was not one to be rushed or questioned.

As he slowly exhaled the smoke he built up he flicked the ashes into the ash tray.

"Keep an eye on that colony but do not pursue as of yet. Monitor if they have garrisoned any troops there, every supply drop they get, every off world water shipment, anything. When we do take this colony down I want zero witnesses." He tapped on the holo-pad and terminated the link.

He took another drag from his cigarette and stared into the sun once more. As always, his mind was buzzing thinking of every possible outcome and every factor to every situation. Fortunately, he was damn good at it.


	5. Chapter 5: The Captain

Ivea jumped as he felt himself being kicked in the side of the leg. As he blinked his brain began to process what was going on.

Standing above him was Sam who looked down at him and her rubbed her head. Her eyes were hardly open and she looked as though she would topple over with a blow of the wind.

"Sam? How long-" She winced and motioned for him to quiet down. _I was actually whispering_. He thought to himself in confusion.

"Erm, what time is it?" He asked as quietly as he could.

"0600. Captain wants us at the ship." She replied with a quiet growl at having to be up and about. Kaitlyn walked over and handed her some kind of tablet which Sam took gratefully. The moment she took it she seemed to be healed of whatever ailment she had suffered.

"Ah I see. Well thank you again for saving my life Sam." Ivea said as he arose and gave her a nod of thanks. She laughed and held out an arm which blocked the way he was about to walk. He looked to her in confusion and noticed her stance once more was that of one who radiated with power, and the will to use it if necessary.

"Whoa there, I'm not letting you go out there and get shot up again. The Captain's just giving us a debriefing technically speaking I still have shore leave. The other two are already at the ship and waiting for us let's go." She did not request but _ordered _him to follow as she started to walk toward the door. There was something about this Human that compelled Ivea to follow her, as though she was a natural leader and inadvertently demanded the respect she wanted.

"I…don't have much choice I see." Ivea said with a small sigh even though he was more than happy to follow her. Without this Human he would be wandering around the streets wondering just where he was supposed to go. But with her, he felt as though he had a purpose.

"Atten-SHUN!" Sam yelled and snapped a firm crisp salute along with Lucy and Kaitlyn beside her. They were currently before the elevator that led to the dock. They were on their way to the ship but their Captain had been standing before the elevator waiting for them.

The Captain was an older man. His hair was white and his face lined with wrinkles and scars, it was difficult to tell which was which anymore. He wore the standard Captain's attire of the Alliance along with the hat that went with it. He was a by the books man and would make well sure everybody did it just that way.

He gave a single small nod to them then looked to their left and saw a white suited Quarian beside them with a red cloth over it's helmet. He frowned as the Quarian stood at parade rest.

"Gunnery Chief Johnson!" He snapped locking onto Sam Johnson who was in the middle of this freak show squad. She stood stiffer as the group held their salutes.

"Why in the name of all that's holy is there a Quarian with you?" He demanded as the Quarian stiffened. He could not possibly fathom as to why Johnson would bring one of those suit dwellers was here. The Captain was no racist against Quarians but you could never see their faces, and that's something the Captain could not tolerate.

"Sir! I found him being attacked by two armored thugs in an alley and rescued him. Sir!" Johnson replied firmly staring straight ahead. The Captain's frown only deepened.

"Yes we need to discuss how you feel you are above the laws here Johnson! Discharging your weapon in the Wards? You're damn lucky C-Sec doesn't see fit to detain you!" He scolded. He took a breath to continue when suddenly the Quarian stepped forward.

"With all due respect, if not for Sam shooting the thug I would've been dead. If anything she deserves praise." His eyes snapped onto the Quarian as rage filled within him. This Quarian had the audacity to not only speak without being spoken to but to even say that the Captain was _wrong_. That wouldn't do.

"I don't know how you were raised Quarian but here we heed the chain of command! And as far as the chain goes you're worse than the dirt beneath my boot!" He yelled in his drill sergeant tone as he scolded the Quarian. He needed to be made an example of. Insubordination would not be tolerated. But yet still the Quarian did the unthinkable, he persisted!

"I am aware of the chain of command and was speaking in a respectful manner but you can _not _scold Sam because she did the right thing!" He began to raise his voice as those damn eyes behind the damn cloudy white visor narrowed.

The Captain opened his mouth but could not bring any words out. This Quarian simply baffled him. He shook the very foundations that were drilled into him in Basic.

"Sir! I'm sorry for the words Ivea has spoken and will take full accountability for his actions. Sir!" Johnson suddenly announced still holding the salute. The Captain's eyes went to her and his mind was back on track.

"We'll discuss this later Johnson. At ease." He finally announced as they went into parade rest, the Quarian however stood in place and showed zero respect. So the Captain ignored him.

"The reason I called you all here is there've been reports of Turian and Salarian colonies disappearing from within the Traverse. These colonies are not widely known however due to the chaotic nature of the Traverse and this mission is hence forth classified. We are being sent to investigate the next colony rumored to be hit. Your shore leave is revoked and you will report to the _Hastings_. Dismissed." But when he finished nobody moved.

"Questions?" He asked staring at Johnson. He knew she'd find something to argue about she always did.

"Sir, I request that Ivea'Liak nar Lavenya come along. He's one of the best techie's I've ever seen and he already has combat training." The Captain stared at her and she stared right back at him. At last he gave a small nod.

"Very well, he'll be brought aboard as a _guest_, that means he'll be under constant watch Johnson. Clear?" After she gave a stiff nod he turned and got into the elevator.

Ivea watched the elevator ascend as everyone had relaxed.

"What the fuck Sam? That Quarian's gonna get us all detained!" Lucy yelled and continued to fume as Kaitlyn began to calm her. Sam stared at where her Captain had stood for a long while before finally turning to face Ivea. She did not have a happy look on her face, that much Ivea had learned by Human expressions.

She punched him in the chest so hard that Ivea was surprised his heart didn't split. As Ivea blinked and coughed violently she explained, "That was for whatever the hell you call that stunt you just pulled." Then before Ivea could respond and as he got his coughing fit under control she hugged him tightly.

"That was for you know, sticking up for me and…stuff." She explained weakly then immediately backed up.

"Listen Ivea I'm not good at mushy stuff so let's go to that colony and shoot something." She said with a chuckle and got into the elevator which just arrived, leaving behind a dumbfounded Ivea. His mouth was open as he tried to say something….anything but nothing came.

_Humans are used to such contact? I will never understand these creatures. _Ivea thought to himself as he stepped in with Sam, Kaitlyn, and the now calm Lucy.

As the elevator door closed and it began to ascend, Ivea looked around him. He stood up front beside Sam while Kaitlyn and Lucy were behind them. Ivea quietly cleared his throat but was deafeningly loud in the silence of the elevator.

Sam looked over with an arched eyebrow.

"Erm…you pronounced my name right. G…Good job." He said with a stiff nod as he stared straight ahead. A smirk spread across her lips.

"Really? I was just winging it. Lucky me." Ivea frowned and looked over.

"Humans have…wings?" He asked completely baffled by what she had said. She couldn't contain the laugh that escaped her. As she laughed Ivea sighed with his face burning and looked down at the floor. _I wish Humans weren't so damned confusing! _

"Sorry I just keep forgetting you're an alien." Ivea's head shot over as for some unknown reason that had made him…angry.

"Alien? If anything you're the alien here!" He suddenly lashed out and jabbed her shoulder with his finger. Her face twisted with confusion as she stepped back a step.

"Whoa Ivea I was just joking." She said holding her hands up. He sighed and shook his head.

"Keelah I'm sorry…I don't know what's gotten into me lately. First I argue with an officer and now I'm just over reacting about things. I think I may be getting sick from the suit breaches from…earlier." He still shivered at the memory from that alley.

"So when you get a hole in that suit you get sick?" Sam asked him. Before he could answer the door opened and they began to walk out into the docking bay.

The ship that was docked was if anything else your standard Systems Alliance frigate. At least that's what Sam thought about it. It's name was painted across the center hull '_HASTINGS'_. As Ivea marveled at the ship Sam chuckled and the other two proceeded across the umbilical which connected the ship to the dock and waited by the airlock.

"She's an ugly hunk a metal but she's home." Sam chuckled. Ivea looked over to her with a shocked look which he knew she sadly couldn't see.

"You think this is ugly? You've clearly never been to the Flotilla. This ship is beautiful I just wish I could see it's drive core I'm sure it's huge! And the eezo management must be…sorry I'm babbling Quarian speak." Ivea apologized seeing her bewildered face with light chuckle.

"Nah don't worry about it, it's cute." Sam replied with a chuckle of her own. She waved Ivea to follow her as she led him toward the airlock.


	6. Chapter 6: SSV Hastings

The moment they stepped onboard the ship Ivea felt just how foreign this place was than the home he had been so used to. For one thing it was so clean! And the fact the deck seemed to be empty. Ivea knew that no other species but the Quarians had so many people in such a small space though.

They walked forward a couple of steps then turned left. Through the door before them was the bridge of the ship. There were Humans working on computers all over the walls. In the center however there was a chair that was undoubtedly meant for the Captain. Sure enough he was seated right there.

"Sir!" Sam announced as she snapped a stiff salute with Kaitlyn and Lucy doing the same. Ivea simply straightened his stance.

"Johnson." The Captain replied with a nod which was the sign for them to be at ease. "We're about to leave the Citadel now. Take our…guest to his quarters." He hesitantly added looking to Ivea. But Ivea did nothing except stand in place and stare straight ahead. He wouldn't let this Human get the better of him again. He knew he was running a fever from the punctures suffered from previously and he needed to repair his suit. The Doctor was good for a Human but if Ivea did not fully repair it…it wouldn't end well for him.

Sam saluted once more before turning and leading Ivea back through the door they first came in. The other two remained in the bridge however as the door closed behind the two.

"What about the others?" Ivea asked as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to where they were. Sam shook her head.

"They're receiving orders right now then they'll get some rest I'd imagine. And thanks to your wonderful display earlier I've been assigned to 'guard your quarters at all times'. So in other words the Captain's pissed." She said with a sigh. Ivea opened his mouth but said nothing. He didn't want to say the wrong thing and anger her any further.

The majority of the walk was down a long cylindrical corridor until they reached an elevator which they promptly entered. When Sam pushed the button and the doors slid shut she looked back at Ivea.

"You know I was just giving you shit right? I'm not mad about earlier." Ivea frowned as he was confused again.

"You Humans have such strange expressions. But I assume you were joking before right?" He couldn't help but inform her of how strange Humans were and their expressions too.

"Yeah pretty much, and we're not _that _strange. After all I'm the first Human you've met…that didn't try to shoot you or give you a hard time at least. I hope I'm not too bad of a paragon for humanity." Sam replied with a chuckle as she faced the door again. Before he could stop himself his eyes wandered up and down her curvy figure.

"No, I'd say you're not a bad paragon at all." He replied just loud enough for his vocal unit to pick it up. Through sheer luck Ivea's eyes were looking at the back of her head once she turned with a corner of her mouth twisted just like it was at the clinic.

"Well I hope you keep thinking that once you get to know me." Before her face could change to some other baffling expression these Humans appeared to have Ivea asked her, "What is that expression?" But sure enough it changed. It was scrunched up in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked as he quietly sighed.

"It…It's when you have one corner of your mouth up, what is it? What does it mean?" She blinked a couple of times before replying.

"I keep forgetting about the Quarian thing, it's a smirk. It means I'm happy. Don't you guys have as many expressions?" Ivea's eyes dropped to the floor in embarrassment as his body heat rose.

"I…erm I don't know. I've only seen my face a couple of times and that was during suit maintenance so I didn't really have time to really look at it." Sam fully faced him now as her eyes narrowed, as though she'd see through his visor and see him. For a moment he almost felt as though she could!

"Wow…to not see your own face…I couldn't imagine. Well what kind of skin-" Before she could finish the door opened.

Immediately Sam was off with Ivea following her a step behind. This area must have been where the crew ate due to the tables filling the massive area. There were a few men sitting at one of the tables playing some game with cards, Ivea had no idea what it was.

But they paid no notice, too absorbed within their game to spare him a glance.

Sam led Ivea out of the massive room the straight ahead through a door across the hall.

The room was at least four times bigger than his own was on the Lavenya! Yet all it contained was a bed straight ahead which could fit at least twelve of his people and it was to be only his! Against the wall to his right was a desk accompanied by a single desk lamp then a door beside it which led to the bathroom.

"Welcome home." She said with a small chuckle. Ivea could only stand there and stare into this giant room, giant to him at least. He finally turned to Sam in disbelief.

"This…This is all mine?" He whispered in disbelief as he looked back within the gigantic space. Sam looked gazed into the side of his visor in confusion.

"Ah, yeah. I know it's a little cramped in here but it's the best we've got." Ivea's head snapped over to her and though he knew she couldn't see it his mouth wise hanging open right now.

"Cramped? It's _huge_! You could fit so many of my people in here and there'd still be room for more! And the bed itself!" He shook his head as he took a step inside and continued to look around the room.

He didn't see Sam who stared down at his legs which was considered "backwards" to Humans.

"Your legs are so…different." She heard her say and immediately stiffened up. He swallowed and looked behind him.

"I…Yes compared to Humans. In fact I'm so…different." He quietly added at the end as he looked down at the floor. The only species that looked anything like Quarians at all were Turians and if anything they were complete opposites. Salarians were also very different both physically and how they are in general.

"No I didn't mean it like it was a bad thing it's just…I'm sorry this is the first time I've been away from Mindoir. Before I was assigned here I was stationed on Mindoir where I was born." Ivea had heard about Mindoir and what had happened during the Batarian slaver attack there. He took a seat on the bed and looked over at Sam.

"Were you there during the...raid?" He almost whispered. He knew it was rude to ask such a thing but he simply couldn't help but ask. She looked down as she leaned against the doorway.

"No I was away on a school field trip. We were studying the sun in that system and didn't even notice anything until our shuttle picked up the emergency broadcast. It was transmitted for all of five seconds before the Batarians cut off all communications. My parents though…they weren't so lucky." She replied in a quiet, sad tone as she stared at the floor so hard Ivea wouldn't have been surprised if it cried mercy.

"What did you do? During the attack?" Ivea pushed against everything he knew about social interaction.

"The only thing we could. We sent out a distress call for an Alliance ship…anyone to help us. When help did come they took care of the Batarians and took us with them to go to a nearby colony that was "safer" than Mindoir. So I stayed there until I was eighteen and joined up with the Alliance. They stationed me back on Mindoir and there I stayed until I was transferred here. We went through mainly patrols and we were even there fighting that Geth ship Sovereign." Ivea couldn't help but sit there in awe. This woman had been through so much and yet she was still here to tell the tale.

"…It's not your fault Sam." Ivea finally said which caused Sam's eyes to shoot up and stare at his own. He held her gaze.

"I know." She tried to say but Ivea still stared at her, he knew she was lying to herself.

"Fuck Ivea, there had to have been something I could've done!" She finally hissed and slammed her fist into the door frame.

He didn't know what to do, how could he help her? She had seen things he was certain he couldn't imagine.

"Sam, you were how old?" He asked as he stood up.

"Sixteen." She quietly replied as tears of anger and feelings that had been repressed for so long were now being released.

"Exactly, I'm not sure how long you Humans live but to Quarians that's the age of a child, even if you were there what would you've done? You couldn't have done anything. Besides if you all didn't call the Alliance the Batarians would've butchered or enslaved everyone." Sam sniffled as she wiped her eyes. After a moment her hand uncurled from the fist it was in and fell by her side as she nodded.

"You're…right. Thanks Ivea, you're better at reading Humans than I am." She said with a light laugh as she wiped away her last tear. Ivea shifted his weight and rubbed the top of his helmet in embarrassment.

"Well being in this suit I have to be good at reading people. I've got some of your Human tendencies down but your faces are so…full of expressions. You confuse me." Sam laughed as she stepped toward him.

"Gotta keep up some mystery now don't I?" She asked with a wink which for some unexplainable reason made Ivea's body heat skyrocket. _That expression means something doesn't it? Oh Keelah this woman will be the death of me. _

In return he chuckled awkwardly as he scratched the side of his helmet and looked to the side of her toward the wall, anywhere but at her.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right out in the hallway "standing guard" or in other words standing around as punishment. Give me a holler if you need anything." When she saw his look of utter confusion she sighed and explained, "That means let me know if you need anything." With that she turned and went into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Then for the first time in as long as he could remember he was…alone. He looked around as his ears were ringing from the silence of the ship. _It's too quiet…How do they know if life support goes out? Except for the no air ofcourse… _Ivea took a seat at the desk and activated his omni-tool and saw he got a message. It read:

Ivea, it's Rana. How is everything so far? Hope you didn't encounter too much trouble on the Citadel. The one replacing you back here is…he requires some time to adjust and…Keelah Liva and I miss you already. Hope you finish that damn pilgrimage soon so you can belong to a ship and we know you're here and safe. Hoping to hear back, Rana.

Ivea couldn't help but smile. While reading he couldn't help but hear her voice saying the words and it made him very home sick just thinking about it.

He took a deep breath before he opened up a new screen and began typing his long reply informing her of just how much had occurred.

"_Sir we have a detailed list of water, food, and troop shipments and movements. We are prepared to move on your mark." _

The Illusive man took a long drag of his cigarette as he let the smoke fill his chest and consider all variables. He narrowed his eyes as he rechecked all his mental calculations before he sat up in his chair and exhaled the smoke he built up.

"I want you to wait 48 hours, they'll be having a solar eclipse. You and your men will transport the weapon coming in from the sun. You know the drill, don't disappoint me."

This time he awaited the reply from his man in charge of this operation. This could not fail.

"_Rodger sir, I wouldn't dream of it." _

The Illusive man smiled as he gave a nod and terminated the call.

"That's what I like to hear." He said to the empty room he was in as he took a final drag from the cigarette.


	7. Chapter 7: The Troubles of a Colony

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait everyone my computer caught a virus so I had to use someone else's (and my school's) to finish this one up, since Mass Effect 3 is around the corner it'll probably be a while until I get the next one out so enjoy!**

Sam growled quietly as she stood before Ivea's door, in full combat gear, "standing guard" as she had been doing for the last few hours without any breaks. All because the Captain was pissy about what happened when Ivea talked back to him.

Sam couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she thought back on it. _He's a good guy. _She thought to herself with a small laugh. She peeked into the mess hall and saw the guys who were playing cards before were now just lounging at the table while shooting the shit with each other.

She let out a quiet sigh as she bit back her want to walk over and sit with them. But before she could complain anymore about her situation the ship shuddered violently beneath her. As she braced herself against the nearby wall the com in her helmet beeped. That was the signal that she was to report to the cargo bay with the other marines.

She was about to leave but stopped and looked to Ivea's door. _I suppose I should at least let him know I'm leaving. _

She knocked a couple of times on the door but got no response. _What the hell? _Sam opened the door and peeked in only to see the room was empty. Her gut suddenly dropped as her heart sped. _Where is he? I was standing guard the whole time! _

She looked around then noticed the bathroom door was closed. "Ivea?" She called as she knocked on the door.

"_Sam? I'm…arm I'm in here._" His voice sounded…different than the usual causing Sam to frown.

"Ivea are you alright?" She asked as she pressed her ear against the door.

"_Oh yes I'm fine don't worry!_" She shook her head as she stood back upright.

"Well I'm headed out we arrived at the colony. Just stay in here until I get back." She heard him give a quiet "_Alright._" before she was off.

**. . . .**

Ivea stood before the mirror in the bathroom simply staring into it. Staring into his own eyes which he had not seen for as long as he could remember.

He slowly lifted an ungloved hand up and touched the rough skin on his face. He tried to imitate the expression Sam had explained earlier, "smirking".

His attempt only a gained a quiet sigh of defeat as he slowly realized that he simply couldn't do it. Just as a Turian, Quarians don't have nearly as many expressions as Humans. Facial expressions anyway.

He looked down at his visor which sat at the edge of the sink, staring emptily up back at him. The grim reminder of the inevitable. He slid his gloves back on and sealed them before looking back down to the visor.

With a final sigh he slowly wrapped his three fingers around it and looked back at his face a final time before sealing the final section of his suit. _Back to being a faceless suit in the eyes of these Humans. _Ivea groaned to himself as he unlocked the bathroom.

He had cleaned the bathroom repeatedly until it had been clean enough to at least take off his mask and gloves for a little bit and fix his suit with more than just the little patchwork that'd been done. Thankfully he'd locked the bathroom door just in case if not…

Ivea shook his head as he walked out into the main room. No need to think of such a thing, he was here now perfectly fine. As he looked around the room he sighed once more and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

It had occurred to him once more with a glance around the room that there was _nothing _to do in here. Also seeing as how he was a "special guest" here he wasn't allowed to leave. _I just had to open my mouth. _Ivea thought to himself as he thought back on the incident.

Just the thought of it made him cringe. He actually talked back to a superior officer! Sure he wasn't a member of the Alliance but still! So now he was here. And here he would remain for quite some time.

**. . . .**

Sam stood at attention along the other's who were also in full combat gear within the cargo hold as the Captain stood before them, his back straight as any could be, his eyes looking into each and every soldiers' eyes.

"We are currently approaching our destination Marines!" He announced with a loud and commanding voice. His eyes continued looking up and down the row of assembled Marines before him while his head never moved.

"When we arrive there this door behind me will open!" He paused and pointed at the giant blast door behind him which was their ticket out.

"When this door is opened you are to step outside in parade formation! We will then proceed into the center of the colony to inform the Turians why we're here and inform them we hare here to _stay_! Questions?" He asked and gave a final look over the line of Marines.

As per usual not a one asked a single question but simply stood at attention, waiting.

"Good! At ease!" He yelled and waited for the Marines to shift into parade rest before going around them and into the elevator up to the bridge.

Sam took a deep breath and slowly released it as she stared straight ahead. Suddenly her omni-tool came to life around her left arm and beeped twice loudly causing everyone in the cargo bay to jump.

She shut her eyes tight, waiting for the Captain's head to blow up. But nothing happened. She peeked back and saw, thankfully, he was already gone.

"You almost fucked us!" The Marine beside her hissed. She ignored him and brought her omni-tool up before her.

1 new message. She tapped it and read through then sighed to herself. It was from Ivea asking what he was supposed to do while he waited. She typed a simple, "I don't know, figure something out." Then she deactivated her omni-tool.

A couple more minutes before it turned on and beeped loudly again and once more causing everyone to jump.

"Damn it Johnson!" The same Marine beside her hissed. Once again she opened up the message except…it was blank. _God damn it Ivea. _She sighed as she shook her head.

The ship jumped much more violently and continued to shudder which was a sure sign that they were entering the atmosphere. Sam lightly bit her lip and took another breath. She hated meeting new people, and with it being Turians who knows what'll happen.

**. . . .**

A smirk crept across Ivea's face as he reveled in his latest success. What Sam believed to be a simple blank message was so much more. It was the carrier of a virus that allowed Ivea to go into her suit's visor and see all that she saw while she had it on.

"Bingo." He whispered as he tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool and brought up her visor.

She was standing in the cargo bay with the doors just now opening.

Ivea laid back in a comfortable position and got ready for the show.

**. . . .**

Sam winced against the sun as it harshly washed them in it's light. Almost immediately the smell of springtime and grass filled her nostrils. _Just like on Mindior. _She shook the thought off and stood at attention as the Captain went through the middle of the Marines' line and stood up straight, waiting for the doors to fully open.

_Must've gone to the bridge to ensure the Turians knew we were friendly. _

The moment her eyes adjusted she saw the Turians staring at them, no not staring, _glaring_.

_Or maybe not. _She sighed to herself but maintained a stiff posture.

The Captain began walking down the ramp as the rest of the Marines followed in suite.

Sam could see that none of the Turians had any face paint. _Strange, isn't this their colony? _But she shook the thought off and stood behind the Captain who now stopped and looked around.

All the Turians towered over them but the Marines would never shy away from a fight from anyone or thing let alone a group of bare faced Turians.

"Who's in charge here?" The Captain asked as he continued looking around. Finally one Turian stepped forward. His skin was grey rather than the usual browns that other Turians are and he had creases in his face, typical with an elderly Turian. His eyes were now white but around the outer edge of the Iris was a faint gold which indicated that maybe with age their eyes even changed. _These aliens are too much for me. _Sam thought to herself with a small frown but then remembered when Ivea had freaked out at that and smiled slightly.

"We have no leader here human but I am the eldest so I suppose I could be the representative of this colony." The Turian said as he looked around at the Humans around him. "Might I ask why there's a Human frigate in our colony?" He asked with a slight growl in his voice as he looked to the ship behind the Marines then to the Captain.

"We've heard reports that this colony is about to be hit by pirates so we've come here to _offer _our assistance." The Captain replied, putting emphasis on 'offer'. Sam had a feeling the Marines being here wasn't exactly up for debate.

Apparently the Turian picked up on it as well due to the narrowing of his eyes as he stared at the Captain who stared right back. "Human, I get the feeling we don't exactly have a choice here." The Turian growled as the Captain smiled.

"I'm happy to hear you'll have us here. We'll have a patrol of four Marines around the colony at all times and two Marines will be stationed…" The Captain looked around at the small buildings within the colony and found a tower in the middle. "At that tower there. Johnson! O'Malley! You two'll be stationed there, now four volunteers for the first patrol." He ordered as he turned to face the Marines. Before anyone could answer the Turian stepped forward toward the Captain and put his hand on the Captain's shoulder.

"No! We won't allow you to desecrate our church!" The Turian protested which caused the Captain to turn with a sigh.

"Listen Turian, it's either you cooperate or we report to our superiors that this colony was 'unfortunately hit before we could arrive'." The Turian's frown only deepened as he slowly brought his hand back at his side and glared daggers at the Captain. "_Fine_." The Turian spat. The Captain nodded and turned back to the Marines.

"Where are those volunteers!" He yelled at them.

**. . . .**

Ivea closed the view screen as the Marines scrambled about. _Bosh'tet thinks he owns the galaxy. _He growled to himself as he shook his head, thinking back on what the Captain said to the Turian.

He rubbed his visor with a quiet sigh. His fever was getting the better of him, he was never this irritable.

Ivea looked at his hand which laid against his visor. He couldn't even feel his own hand against his face or breath the unfiltered air. He thought back to the bathroom, the feeling of his own rough skin against his fingers. He already missed feeling anything in general without the damned suit.

He could now understand just why many Quarians died just so they could smell the fresh air or feel the wind on their face. _Tempting, but then again death isn't. _He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the filters in his helmet in perfect synch with his lungs activated and drew in the outside air while filtering it before filling his helmet with fresh air. Way too fresh air.

Ivea activated his omni-tool once more and took his temperature. _Still high. _With that one thought his suit automatically administered a dose of antibiotics which almost immediately swam through his brain making him feel light headed. He laid his head back and closed his eyes once more. _Best to just get some sleep, if this fever doesn't pass soon I will not be a happy Quarian._

**. . . .**

Sam sat on her two foot high stool with her back to Joe O'Malley, the Marine who was assigned to watch duty with her. Night had fallen and a cool wind swept across the hills that surrounded the colony. She looked through the scope of her sniper rifle and scanned the colony, she saw the other four Marines who were patrolling the outside of the colony. Before she knew it she was looking at the ship. Part of her wished she could be back there, having an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) which would undoubtedly taste horrible but it was better than sitting up here in the cold of the night.

Just as she thought that the hatch to her right opened up revealing another Marine. "I'm here to relieve your, I'd suggest just heading straight to the ship these Turians don't really like us." He explained as he got up and scooted past Sam and sat where she had a moment ago. _Couldn't imagine why, we only invaded their privacy, threatened to destroy them, then invaded their church. _Sam frowned to herself as she climbed down the ladder that had led to the tower. The Marine was right though so she hurried straight back to the ship.

**. . . .**

The moment Sam got onboard she immediately devoured her MRE and walked to Ivea's room. She knocked on the door but heard no answer so she went on in.

Inside he was sleeping peacefully with his right arm over his visor to block out the light that shined from the desk. Sam chuckled to herself and turned it off as she sat in the chair that was at the desk. _Might as well get some shut eye before my shift. _She thought to herself as she put her feet up and leaned back. After she set her alarm on her omni-tool she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Up In Flames

Sam jumped awake and looked around the room as she panted. All was the same.

With a sigh she slowly rubbed her forehead. _Another dream about Mindior…_

Her omni-tool blinked, bringing her out of her thoughts. She pressed it and read the alert, her shift was up.

She got up and began walking out of the room, sealing the door behind her, and going into the mess hall.

It was eerily quiet even though it was about morning right now. Judging by the time the sun should just be on the horizon now.

**. . . .**

The moment she got outside Sam winced against the intensity of the sun. It was an eclipse today.

"Don't hurt yourself _Human_." She heard the snort from her right. When she turned she saw it was the elder of the colony.

"Ah, hey listen I know our Captain's a bit…assholish but he's just trying his hardest to keep this place safe, he just has a back asswards way of showing it." Same shrugged but made sure the Captain wasn't in earshot, he'd of had her shot for saying that.

The Turian stared at her for a long moment before his plates shifted and his mandibles relaxed.

"Thank you Human I…am glad you cleared that up. You see none of us have even seen a Human since the first contact war…its left it's marks on us all." He noted as he looked out at the Turians walking around the colony, all of which glared at the Humans.

"Same for the Captain, ever since then he's…cautious of other species'. I think he just needs time." Sam said with a shrug. The Turian studied her for a moment before nodding.

"We all need time to recover from our scars…then again some never heal, that is why they're scars." Sam grimly nodded then held out her hand. The Turian looked at her hand then back up at her.

"Gunnery Chief Sam Johnson." She said with a nod. Catching on the Turian grabbed her hand and shook it replying with, "Arvus." He nodded.

"Can you tell me anything about this colony?" Sam asked with a raised eyebrow. Arvus nodded and motioned for her to follow him.

As they walked through the colony all the Turians looked to her then at Arvus with confusion but proceeded about their day.

"This colony is separate from the Hierarchy. We broke off, all having our reasons but mainly because we don't like having our every move be dictated by someone else." Sam looked up at him in confusion.

"Don't all Turians serve the Hierarchy happily?" Arvus frowned for a moment but then softened his expression.

"Don't all Humans hate Turians?" He asked looking at her with a Turian equivalent for a smile, at least that's what she assumed.

"So what about the church you talked about before? What do you worship?" She asked looking up at him. He stopped and looked at the bright sky but careful to avoid the sun.

"Freedom…the very essence of it. While you may not understand it Hum…Sam…It's something we don't take lightly. We understand how truly wonderful a gift freedom is. Every day free is a gift. We make sure all know this. Thank you for your questions Sam but I must attend to my duties." He said with a nod and went off.

She watched him walk off for a moment before it hit her she was supposed to be at her post. She took off running towards the church.

**. . . .**

"O'Malley!" Sam yelled as she ran toward the tower. There was only silence that greeted her.

She cursed to herself and walked inside. _I know I'm late but c'mon! _

She took two steps inside before her eyes shot wide open and she took cover against a nearby wall.

Two well armored men stood looking over a body on the floor.

Sam peeked back around the corner and got a good look at their armor. Their faces were completely covered but she recognized that white and yellow pattern…

"Cerberus…" She whispered quietly.

She peeked once more and looked at the body on the floor, Turian.

She looked to her left where the ladder to the tower was, hidden from view of the troopers.

She slowly and quietly climbed it, holding her breath the whole way up. When she finally reached the top she froze midway up.

O'Malley's wide empty eyes stared right at her as he lay on the ground, his neck wide open from a blade.

_Son of a bitch! Because I wasn't at my post! _Rage boiled inside her as she shook her head. _I'm not letting Mindior happen again!_

She climbed back down the ladder and took cover by the same wall. She reached back and slowly pulled out her M-8 Avenger and unfolded it in her hands. She took in a deep slow breath and exhaled.

Adrenaline pumped through her as she jumped from behind the wall. The troopers had enough time to just look up before four shots; two each, dug into their skulls and dropped them.

She exhaled and scanned the area. _Hostiles eliminated. _

She turned and cautious exited the church. The moment she'd turned she felt a blade against her throat, freezing her in her tracks.

_"Hostile located, downed two men orders?" _The woman's voice sounded electronic, obviously filtered by a mask.

_"Rodger eliminating." _Sam held her breath and shut her eyes tightly.

**. . . .**

Ivea groaned as his omni-tool beeped repeatedly. "I know I know!" He pressed it with a growl, "Bosh'tet."

But what he heard from the video feed chilled him to the bone, _"Hostile located, downed two men orders?" _

Ivea blinked and jumped up. He looked at his omni-tool's video feed of Sam's visor and saw a blade was against her throat. "Bosh'tet!" Ivea yelled as he brought up his holo-board and began to type away frivolously.

He was running a search program for the nearest computer by her. Luckily he found the enemy in moments. When he brought up their screen he came upon one of the strangest and most complicated firewalls he'd ever seen.

He cracked his neck and smiled. _I love a challenge._

_"Rodger eliminating." _The woman replied to her operator. Ivea's tongue stuck out as he bit it lightly in concentration. He saw the blade pressed against Sam's throat and slid a centimeter before Ivea cracked the firewall and seized up the enemy's suit.

"Bingo." He smirked.

**. . . .**

Sam opened one eye, nothing.

She looked down and saw the sword was frozen in place.

_"Hello there Sam, this is most certainly not Ivea who hacked this bushtit's suit and froze her out of her own systems." _In a single moment Sam almost but out laughing out of sheer relief.

_"Now if you'll please slide out from under that blade." _She did as he said and turned to look at the woman. Her face was covered as with the other troops but she looked different, she had a blade which was more like a sword with Cerberus logos all over her.

_"Now you should definitely not cut the cords on her back leading from the helmet to suit." _Ivea's voice came from the helmet of the woman. Sam smiled as she went around the back and looked at the cords he spoke of. Sure enough they were there.

As Sam brought her omni-tool up she activated the omni-blade program she had saved which slid a blade out and locked it in place.

"And to think everyone told me to delete this program." Sam said to herself with a chuckle as she slashed the cords. Almost immediately the woman simply fell over, whether unconscious or dead Sam didn't care, either was good enough for her.

She ran outside and skidded to a halt. She heard shooting and screams but not anyone shooting back. _They must've hit the Marines first! Damn it! _

_"I'm looking at it all now via satellites…it's looking bad. The Captain caught wind of the attack and charged out there. I'd suggest finding him in all of that chaos. Good luck Sam, I'll be monitoring everything."_ Ivea informed her via her suit's comms.

With a small nod she ran off toward the chaos.

**. . . .**

Ivea ran a hand over his visor with a sigh and shook his head.

_How could I've missed this? It's a full scale invasion force!_

He shook his head and began typing on his omni-tool. After a moment he brought up a live feed from another satellite that was passing overhead at the moment.

Zooming in he saw the fires and shooting that were taking place throughout the colony and there wasn't a damned thing he could do.

He looked over on the bed at his pistol with a frown. _I _can _do something about this. _

Grabbing it quickly he then ran out of his door and through the ship. _I'm going to help this colony!_

**. . . . **

After unleashing a burst from her rifle Sam continued to run through the colony. _Shit shit shit! _She yelled in her head as a few shots barely missed her head.

Purely on instinct she slid into cover behind one of the buildings and peeked out for a moment then went back behind it.

_Two Cerberus troopers. _She thought to herself, mentally noting their positions. She breathed in a deep breath and released it slowly then jumped out from her cover.

In a flash the two soldiers fell to the ground as smoke rose from the barrel of Sam's rifle. _Gotta find the Captain._

She continued running once more. The sound of screams echoed throughout the colony as well as gunshots. Men, woman, children, all being mowed down.

As she turned a corner Sam spotted the Captain who was unleashing a spray of shots at a group of Cerberus troops who were behind cover. The Captain retreated back into cover behind a waist high crate that was sitting out in the street.

The Cerberus troopers popped out and sprayed the crate full of shots. They were dead locked.

Sam latched her rifle on her back and pulled out her sniper rifle. She took another deep breath and aimed down the scope.

The three troopers were steadily advancing toward the Captain…right in a horizontal line.

A single shot rang out, shaking Sam's eardrums and nearly bruising her shoulder even through her armor. Three bodies hit the ground as Sam ejected her spent thermal clip. "Bam." She whispered with a smirk.

She ran over to the Captain who slowly got out from behind his cover.

"Damn fine shot soldier. Report." He ordered causing Sam to stand straight and nod.

"Colony's under attack sir, Cerberus. I'm not sure what they want but they're mowing down civilians." The Captain nodded, undoubtedly he already knew all this.

"So you know as much as me then, damn it." He growled as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Alright, come with me and we'll head out there and find the rest of our men." Sam gave a stiff nod and followed him.

**. . . . **

Ivea only managed to get to the mess hall before his visor picked up a cloaked heat signature.

Cursing silently he kneeled down behind an overturned table. Two men had tried to fight the unknown and failed. Ivea grimaced at the two bodies around him.

He peeked over the table and saw that the unknown person had their back to him.

Wasting no time he got out and quietly began to walk over toward them with his pistol in hand.

He got right behind them and leveled the pistol straight at their head. He smiled and pulled the trigger.

Rather than a loud bam there was a hiss as heat shot out the side of his pistol accompanied with a beeping. His eyes shot open wide as the cloaked person turned and swung their weapon at him. He rolled back just in time and looked down at the pistol.

"Bosh'tet!" He screamed as he slapped the side of it. It always did have a problem loading thermal clips but he'd thought he'd repaired it!

He looked back up and gasped as the figure uncloaked and slashed at him with a sword.

He jumped back but fell over, slipping on the MRE one of the two men must've dropped in surprise when this person showed up.

The person who Ivea now saw was a woman stood over him with the sword in hand.

_"Located a Quarian, orders?" _The woman asked holding her free hand up to the comm. unit on her helmet.

In that moment Ivea made a decision, he could either wait and die or he could do something. He chose the latter. In a split second he brought up one of his legs and slammed it into her chest, launching her across the room.

Normally he suspected she'd be able to withstand that but Ivea had his suit assisted his kick and amplify the power.

He stood up and loaded a clip into the chamber of his pistol as he walked toward the woman on the ground who was rubbing her head which she'd hit on the corner of a table.

Standing just out of reach of her sword he leveled his pistol at her head once more. The way she did nothing and simply stared at him told him she knew it was over.

"Why are you here?" He demanded. She said nothing. He growled and tightened his grip on the pistol.

"Final chance." He warned, she still did nothing.

"Please don't make me do this…" He pleaded with a frown. He really didn't want to have to kill someone let alone an unarmed woman.

The woman replied by lowering he head and looking at the ground, there was only one way for this to end. With a sigh he shook his head and squeezed the trigger. This time the pistol jerked up and would've deafened him if he didn't have his helmet on.

Her head practically exploded and painted the wall behind her red.

Ivea discharged his clip and loaded another. _It didn't have to end that way._

**. . . .**

Sam stood beside the Captain who was panting heavily. On the way here they'd engaged the enemy in three fights but luckily got out of all of them. The only problem was they'd seen no sign of their troops and from the sounds of the shots in the distance it was a one sided battle.

"Captain?" Sam asked looking over. He stood upright and nodded.

"I'm fine…what's up ahead?" Sam stood there a moment before peeking around the corner.

Two soldiers standing before a single Turian who was on his knees with his hands bound behind his back. He stared bitterly at the ground. Almost immediately Sam knew that it was Arvus.

"Damn it Arvus." Sam hissed as she latched her assault rifle on her back and brought out her sniper rifle.

She carefully took aim through the scope and lined up the heads of both the troopers. She held her breath and held her arm steady.

She slowly began to squeeze the trigger when suddenly a single shot rang out through the air. Then silence. Sam was frozen in place.

Arvus dropped to the ground as blood pooled around the hole in his head.

"Phase one complete, all troops head back to your shuttles." The soldier who shot Arvus reported into his helmet.

Before the soldier could draw another breath a single shot ripped through his skull and fried his brains, that same shot ripped through his companions' skull as well.

Sam let the sniper rifle fall to the ground as she sprinted toward the Turian who lay on the ground bleeding.

She skidded to a halt and fell to her knees before him. His eyes were glassy as they stared straight ahead and his mouth lay open. Sam hissed in rage as she squeezed her eyes shut and leaned over Arvus.

Tears trailed down her cheeks as she punched the ground in anger.

"Damn it! I tried to save you Arvus! I…I tried to…I'm sorry…" She whispered as she held her eyes shut.

"Gunnery…Chief…" She heard the Captain whisper from down the road.

Sam turned and saw the Captain laying face first on the ground. Her eyes went wide as she sprinted over and kneeled down beside him. When she turned him over she saw he had a giant pool of red just below his stomach and to the right.

"Captain! Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? I have medi-gel maybe-" Sam tried to apply it but he pushed her arm away.

"Damn it…no time already…bled too much. Listen…this mission was…more than a simple attack. Cerberus…destroying alien colonies…flattening them...Sent here to find out why…" Sam frowned as she leaned in closer. His voice become quieter and quieter.

"Chief…Sam…I'm not…going to…live…I…ergh! Damn…I'm giving…the ship to…you…consider it…a field promotion…take this datapad to…Councilor Anderson…he'll…he'll know what to…do…Sam…won't be…survivors…bridge sealed…password is…alpha November nine…twenty…I…you're a damn…a damn good soldier…" He whispered as his eyes slowly slid shut and he laid back on the ground.

She sat there a moment simply staring at the body of her old Captain. Lifeless. Sam slowly stood up as she shook her head. _So many have died and I did nothing!_

Sam looked toward the ship and frowned. _Ivea! _She took off in a sprint toward the ship as fast as he could.

**. . . . **

Ivea frowned as he pounded against the bridge door.

"It's alright it's just me out here!" He yelled to the scared men on the other side but to no avail.

"For all we know you betrayed us and helped them damn suit!" The man on the other side yelled back.

Ivea growled as he clenched his hands into fists. _I could hack this door open if I really wanted to Bosh'tets! You're just lucky I don't want to hurt any of you!_

Before Ivea could so much as smile at the thought Sam was beside him panting. He looked over and opened his mouth but she cut him off.

"Alpha November nine twenty, open it up now!" Sam ordered with a voice of steel. There was silence for a moment which told Ivea that they'd been just as confused as him for a moment until the door hissed open.

There were four men with pistols trained at the door, all bridge crew. They froze when they saw it was just him and Sam behind the door.

"I…sorry ma'am couldn't be too-" The man who'd been yelling before attempted to apologize but Sam cut him off and ordered him sternly, "Save it, get us airborne now!"

For a moment no one moved. Everyone simply stood there watching her until the same man managed to work up the courage to ask, "What about everyone else ma'am?"

Sam shook her head.

"There is no one else, it's only us. Now move!" She ordered. This time everyone rushed to their stations as Ivea looked over at Sam who stood where she'd been the whole time, simply staring straight ahead.

"Sam…where's the Captain?" Ivea asked facing her fully. Everyone else was hard at work sealing the sections of the ship so to make sure no one else could get on board.

"He got hit and…didn't make it…" She whispered as she clenched her jaw. It was all too obvious to Ivea she was trying to hold her emotions in with all her power.

Ivea reached up and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Sam, I just-"

She looked over and shook her head.

"Not in front of the crew." She whispered.

Ivea looked over at the busy men then nodded and looked at his hand. As he removed it he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

A few weeks ago that would've been a sign of intimacy and would've embarrassed Ivea to no end but now…it hadn't even fazed him.

Sam slowly walked over to the Captain's chair and slid into the seat. She sat stiffly upright and stared out of the viewport at the fires raging outside.

At last the ship began to lift off the ground and slowly climb higher and higher as they began to fly away from the burning colony when Ivea frowned and stepped forward.

"Hang on." He muttered as he narrowed his eyes. At first the men paid him no mind but Sam repeated the order to which they obeyed this time.

He stared out the viewport and used his visor's zoom feature which revealed the shuttles that dropped the men off now taking off and encircling the colony.

Suddenly the side door on one of the shuttles opened up and turned to face the colony.

Ivea stepped forward again and barely managed to make out a figure standing in the shuttle on the edge. It was a human female, bald, wearing all white. Other than that Ivea couldn't see.

A purple flash blinded the crew, even Ivea whose visor didn't have time to dim the light, as the ship was shoved back and knocking Ivea to the ground.

He grunted in pain as his vision swam and his head pulsated. _I think I cracked a rib! _He hissed in pain as he slowly lifted himself up and looked out at where the colony once was but the scene before them caused everyone on the bridge to fall silent.

Where the colony was there was a giant hole in the ground, not just a hole a crater. No fires burned, no buildings stood, no bodies were laying on the ground. It was simply a crater.

Ivea zoomed back in on the shuttle and saw the bald female was glowing the same blue that had blinded them before.

"That blast…those were biotics!" Ivea exclaimed in disbelief. The rest of the crew was just as skeptical.

"That's impossible! Anything near that magnitude would've killed a person!" One of the men yelled out. No one answered him though, everyone simply stared at the wasteland that was a thriving colony only hours ago.

"We…need to go report this to Anderson…all of this." Sam finally said getting her wits back once more. The crew followed not even a moment after.

The ship soared off into the sky leaving the destruction behind them as the Cerberus shuttles flew off their own way.

**. . . .**

Smoke flowed out of his nostrils as The Illusive Man exhaled and rubbed his eyes wearily. He began to get less and less sleep as the days went on. His attention went to the glass of alcohol sitting on his armrest. He sighed quietly and downed the remainder of the glass.

It wasn't just alcohol, it was also a mixture of crucial vitamins and necesseties in life. This job…this _mission_ of leading Cerberus and in turn human dominance was draining and time consuming. So much so he couldn't even find the time to eat anymore.

A holo-pad appeared on the right side of his chair, drawing him out of his thoughts. He hit accept, ready for the report.

_"The colony's been effectively wiped out." _A smile crossed his lips. He didn't expect any different but it was still good to hear. _"But…there were survivors." _His smile immediately disappeared.

"Colonists?" He asked with a deadpan voice.

_"Alliance, they were there waiting for us. We got the jump on them but a handful of them survived and escaped."_

The Illusive Man closed his eyes and took a long long drag of his cigarette as he thought to himself.

"Very well. I'll deal with that later, but the test was successful?" He asked and slowly exhaled the smoke out of his nostrils.

_"Yes sir, although after affects include the usual nose bleed and ocular bleeding as well the results have been the same if not better." _

That was already too heavy a risk. He frowned then nodded.

"I see. Mission accomplished await further orders." He said and ended the call, without wasting a moment he dialed another.

Without waiting for a greeting The Illusive man gave a simple, "You've been granted more funds, do what it takes." Then ended the call.

He sat back in his chair with a deep breath. _Survivors? Interesting…_


	9. Chapter 9: Ugly

The ship was silent except for the light hum of the engines as the blue tunnel of FTL speeds streaked past.

Everyone was silent, all doing their jobs. But they were all thinking about the same thing, the colony that was just wiped from existence.

Ivea turned and looked at Sam as she sat in the Captain's seat with her face hidden behind her hands.

_I should say something but…_He looked around at the crew with a frown. _She's thinking of the crew before herself. A very Quarian attitude._

Ivea smiled at the thought that even though someone was a different species they could have the same attitude, but the smile wore away as the crushing reality of what had occurred rushed back into his mind.

Suddenly Ivea realized he was the only one who was standing around, he had no job.

He took a step forward and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me Captain?" He asked as he stood stiffly upright with his hands behind his back.

Sam looked up with a drained look on her face. The day's events wore her down.

"I was um…I was wondering what I should exactly do?" She frowned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Officially you're not an Alliance Soldier so you shouldn't even be up here but seeing as we have a mess in the mess hall go clean that up." She replied with an exhausted tone.

Ivea blinked and stood in place. _Clean that up? Those are the bodies of Soldiers down there!_ He slowly nodded and managed to step off the bridge and start walking towards the elevator.

**. . . .**

After turning five tables back over and setting them where they originally were Ivea came upon the two Soldiers who were killed by the woman whose body lay on the ground across the mess hall.

Footsteps caught his attention and caused him to turn. Before him was Sam who stood in the doorway.

Ivea gave her a nod then looked down at the two Soldiers and began dragging them toward the wall so he could continue moving the tables until he could think of what else to do with them.

"Ivea listen before when you tried to comfort me…I was just still caught up in the Captain's death and-"

Ivea released the Soldiers and straightened himself up and looked behind him at Sam.

"Private Richards and Corporal Jenkins." He said and went over to the nearest overturned table.

"What?" Sam asked in confusion. Ivea flipped the table and turned around to face her.

"Those are the name of those" he pointed his finger at the two Soldiers against the wall "men. They died during this attack. They're not just 'messes to be cleaned up' they were _people_." Ivea growled with a deep frown etched in his face.

Sam blinked in surprise of the outburst.

"Those men didn't sign on to just be considered pieces of meat to be cleaned!" He yelled with clenched fists.

Sam held up her hands, "Whoa Ivea what're you talking about?"

"You wanted me to 'clean up the mess'. And I'm telling you that _they're _not just some mess to be cleaned up!"

Realization dawned on Sam's face as she stepped forward.

"I'm sorry Ivea I misspoke before I didn't mean-" Ivea shook his head.

"I understand it's been a difficult day for us all but for your crew's sake you cannot afford a slip up like that." Sam sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"You're right, I wasn't cut out for all this command stuff I've been a grunt my whole life then suddenly this all happens." She said shaking her head as she sat on a nearby table and put her feet on the chair.

Ivea walked over and stood before her.

"I understand how you feel, I've always been the 'grunt' my whole life as well. But then I became the head of engineering in my liveship the Lavenya. At first I wasn't good at it like you now but you have to earn that leadership. Some are born with it of course but people like you and I must strive to become great like those people." Ivea said with a smile as he lifted her head up with his right hand.

"So don't be so down on yourself alright?" He asked as she smiled.

"Looks like you're saving me this time rather than me saving you." Sam said with a chuckle as Ivea's hand dropped to his side again.

"If only you knew how much you saved me Sam. When I was forced out of my home I felt lost." Sam's face twisted into confusion.

"Kicked out? Did you do something wrong?" Ivea shook his head as he sat beside her on the table.

"No, when my people become of age we're forced out of the Flotilla and pushed into the galaxy whether we want to be or not. We're not to return without bringing a gift of worth for a ship's Captain. If they accept the gift we are then able to join their crew." Sam listened intently but still had that strange look on her face.

"So you guys are pushed out with no combat experience and no training to go and find…_something_ just to impress some Captain?"

"Well most of us are given training it's just…not all Quarians are exactly equal. I mean there are a lot of us so that will happen it's just…not many will tell you that." Ivea's face burned with the embarrassment of having to tell someone one of the many flaws of his people.

"So what, are you saying that you're not worth as much some other Quarians?" Ivea's head spun to face hers.

"Not at all! I'm worth the same as any Quarian no one is worth any more than anyone else it's just the others in the Fleet need to learn that." He looked down at the ground and sighed as he clasped his hands together.

"I think everyone could learn that lesson. Back on Mindior we were treated the same as everyone else because we were all almost the same thing, farmers just hoping to make it on a new colony world. So your people live entirely on ships?" Sam asked looking over.

Ivea nodded as he looked back over at her.

"Yes and we spend our entire lives in these suits. The only way we could ever even see each other is in a clean room and those are reserved for those who wish to become erm…intimate." There was his burning again.

"Really? I've read a bit about you guys while we are ground side. Geth drove you guys off? You must really hate them." Ivea was silent for a full minute before he shook his head.

"Honestly no, I feel that we wronged them, we were the ones who struck first. If anything we declared war on them…they won." Sam certainly was surprised by that.

"Really? The Quarians that I've read about had nothing but hate towards the Geth. I guess you guys are all different huh?" Ivea's eyes narrowed a bit.

"Why wouldn't we be? We're no different than you. Well…except physically of course." Sam's eyebrow arched. Something that truly puzzled Ivea.

"Then you guys do look different from us?" Ivea's breath caught in his throat.

"Well...we're not the same I mean…we're not too different…except…some I suppose…" He stammered as he tried to think of a way out of this conversation.

"Then what do you look like under that mask?" Ivea's heart skipped a beat.

"Well I can't exactly take my mask off in a non sterile room unless I wanted to die."

"And if we had a sterile room?" She asked as Ivea's eyes shot open. _Did she just suggest…?_

"I…I don't think that that would be very…oh Keelah I…I wasn't prepared for something like that." Sam was confused a moment before she realized what she said.

"Oh no! I wouldn't suggest something like that! Sorry about-" Her omni-tool beeped causing her to look down.

"They need me up there it seems, we'll talk again." She said with a nod as she walked off leaving Ivea sitting on the table with nothing but the quiet hum of the ship.

"Of course you wouldn't suggest something like that…" Ivea muttered as he curled into a ball on the table.

**. . . .**

The ship had docked on the Citadel with Councilor Anderson standing at the dock waiting for the crew to walk out.

Sam began walking out still in her armor. Ivea stepped to follow her when one of the men pushed Ivea to the side and followed behind Sam as the others followed swiftly.

Ivea stumbled and bumped his head against the wall causing his head to swim for a moment before he stood back up and jogged to catch up.

The men and Sam stood at attention before the Councilor.

"Greetings Chief Johnson." The Councilor greeted with a nod. Sam slowly held out the datapad the Captain had given her.

"I suppose it's _Captain _now isn't it?" The Councilor asked after he read it.

"Afraid so sir. I also have the debriefing here sir." She gave him another datapad. The Councilor took it with a nod.

"I'd rather you come with and tell me your account personally." Sam nodded and looked to the crew.

"You all stay on the ship, I'll be back in a few hours." The men gave salutes and walked back to the ship, one of which pushed through Ivea.

Sam looked at Ivea. "You too Ivea." That confused him, he'd always gone with her except when he was under watch in his room.

"I…yes ma'am." He said with a nod and walked back into the ship.

**. . . .**

The crew all sat in the mess hall at one table while Ivea sat in the corner. Alliance personnel had already taken the bodies of the Soldiers and the Cerberus agent Ivea shot.

As Ivea scrolled through his omni-tool he could feel the glares he got from the other men.

He peeked up once and saw two of them glaring his way. He immediately peeked back down. Then he saw he'd received a new message from Rana.

_A colony? Sounds fun to finally get off the ship! The new head of engineering is slowly but surely learning the ropes except…yesterday one of the fuel lines blew and we lost Aerz. I guess our new head of engineering forgot to turn off the damned fuel first before telling Aerz to torch up and seal the hole. Aerz got a puncture and was incinerated inside his suit. Liva came over the other day and asked what had happened since you were gone. I swear she just misses you more and more. I hope you return to the Fleet soon._

_ Rana_

Ivea's eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat. _Dead? One of my team dead? _He never really knew Aerz but he knew that Aerz had his parents and a brother. _I need to return to the Lavenya I need to get back! These damned Humans don't even want me here anyways! I can just book passage on another ship then I-_

He was brought out of his thoughts by one of the men calling over to him.

"You called Cerberus to the colony didn't you suit?" Ivea's throat burned with rage, not from the Human but from the fact someone died because _he _wasn't there.

"It's all your fault isn't it?" The same man yelled. Ivea's whole body throbbed, he could feel the rage and adrenaline flowing throughout his body.

The man stood up from his table. _Don't even walk over here._

The man had a frown on his face as he began to walk toward him.

"Because of you our friends are dead." He reached Ivea's table and leaned against it while Ivea stood on the opposite end staring down at the table.

"All those Turians are _dead_. All those people are dead!" He screamed. In that single moment Ivea made a decision. It is a decision every creature in the galaxy makes every day. Fight or flight?

Ivea swept his hands under the table and launched the side up causing it to fly in the air and spin so the top of it was facing the man who was thrown off balance.

He then pushed the table at him, hitting the man straight in the face and knocking him to the ground.

Without wasting a moment Ivea pounced on him and punched him with his left then his right then his left again and again until the man's face was a bloody wreck.

Other crew members stood up and were about to charge him when he pulled the survival knife he kept strapped to his back out and stood up but crouched low to the ground in an animalistic rage.

It was as though Ivea was pushed deep inside his mind as a rage took over he'd been hiding since the day he'd been conceived.

An actual growl like that of an animal caused the men to stay in place as Ivea slowly began stepping towards the door while facing the men and keeping low to the ground.

The moment he reached it he sheathed his blade and ran to the elevator.

**. . . .**

He had been running for so long his legs hurt. All he knew, all he cared about was that he could hear ships. He began to stumble as he panted hard and finally fell over.

The many people around him not bothering to take notice in fact some went out of their way to kick his arm as they walked past.

_This pilgrimage, this universe, these people I hate all of it! _

He closed his eyes as he thought back to his father, one of his only memories of him, finishing the pistol. How proud his father was that day.

His father actually hugged him and said, "Great job son, I'm so proud."

Slowly Ivea's eyes began to water as he lay on the ground in the middle of the Citadel being kicked every once and a while simply because he existed.

There was nothing here for him. No future, nothing but hatred so why even bother trying to understand these other races? Ivea used to have hope, that inside everyone was equal but if anything all he learned was that Quarians were all equally trash in everyone else's eyes.

"You nearly kill one of my men then you run off to lay in the middle of the walkway?" He heard the familiar voice of Sam. He didn't move or reply at all. He just wanted to go home and leave this damned galaxy behind.

"I don't know why you're here but I'd like an explanation as to why one of men is in critical condition right now." She said as she went around by his head and crouched down in front of him. "Well?" She asked.

She wasn't in her armor anymore but in the formal wear of a Captain.

"I'm going home." Ivea finally replied. He simply stared at the ground through his watery eyes.

"Are you being called back? I thought you needed a gift?" She asked in confusion. Now no one seemed to want to kick him with a Human here. Disgusting.

"One of my crew died yesterday because I wasn't there. I won't let that happen again. I don't belong out here. I don't _want _to be out here." He quietly replied.

Sam's face softened. "I thought you loved learning about the other species, back at the clinic you were so energetic about finally meeting a Human."

Ivea scoffed. "I've realized you Humans see us as garbage same with the damned Turians and those pretentious Asari."

"And the Salarians? Tell me how they hurt your feelings." Sam scoffed as she shook her head.

"The galaxy is a nasty place sometimes but you can't run home because you don't like people and you damn well can't judge an entire species because a few men got angry and turned that anger towards you." Ivea looked up at her.

"So you already knew what happened? Why are you here?" Sam scratched the back of her head.

"Well we've been with each other for a while now and hell I guess I've grown to like you. I don't want to lose a friend because some assholes decided they didn't like you." Ivea looked back down at the ground, still laying there.

"Now you started down this journey with me and by God you're gonna be there at the end with me. Now come on let's get back to the ship." Sam said with a smile as she stood up and held out her hand.

But Ivea didn't take it. He laid there and thought to himself for a long while. _Aerz died because I wasn't there. Is it really alright for me not to be there? _

He couldn't possibly go back not like this. Not to such an ugly species who have done nothing but try to harm him. But then again… He looked up at Sam as she smiled. This woman was the one person in this galaxy who was not a Quarian that had actually helped him and did so with no thought of her own well being. She was the one non Quarian in this galaxy that Ivea actually felt positive toward. This woman…was the woman that Ivea had began to fall for since the day she saved him in that alleyway and she was a Human. _Maybe they're not all bad._

He knew whatever Cerberus was planning was bad and if he didn't help stop it, a lot more than Aerz would die. With that he grabbed Sam's hand and stood up.

"The one who came at you will find he was discharged from service from assaulting a civilian. So no worries. Turns out he was the asshole that kept egging everyone toward being anti-alien." Sam explained as they walked back toward the ship.

"By the way you Quarians must have some damned strong legs to run that fast." Sam said as she shook her head. And once again Ivea's face began to burn.


	10. Chapter 10: Feelings

Silence.

That was the crippling difference between the Flotilla and the _SSV Hastings_.

He couldn't even sleep it was deafening.

Even after being on this ship for a few months the silence was still deafening.

Ivea took a deep breath as he shook his head with a tube of nutrient paste in his hand.

He was in the mess hall where not too long ago Cerberus had killed soldiers.

Ivea looked around the now clean room, the silence only being broken by a hum so silent it was hardly noticeable.

"If I had a credit for every minute you've slept on this ship I'd have a handful of them." Ivea turned to see Sam walking toward him.

He couldn't help but chuckle lightly as he sat his nutrient paste to the side.

"Sorry ma'am it's just...I don't mean to complain I'll head off to bed right now." He moved to stand but she laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back down with a surprising amount of force.

Ivea blinked as he observed her arms. She had traces of sweat and her muscles seemed bigger, toner. It appeared something bothered her to the point where working out was a release from it.

"Well I'm up and misery loves company." She said with a smile as she sat across from him. He frowned in confusion.

"But...your name isn't misery." Sam looked just as confused for a moment before she laughed.

"It's a figure of speech." Ivea ignored the burning heat in his cheeks as he looked in her hand.

Ivea may not have the most knowledge of the galaxy but he knew well enough to know she had a glass of alcohol in her hand.

He observed the subtle shifts in her posture, the small movements in her face, the sluggish way her eyes moved. She was intoxicated.

"Stress ma'am?" Ivea broke the silence. Sam looked confused then traced his eyes to her glass.

"Well...don't tell anyone but this is starting to get to me." Ivea tilted his head in curiousity.

"This position, this assignment, all of it. I mean sure I get promoted from my dying Captain's last wish but to send us into the skirts of Human space and telling us to just look around? I mean what the hell kind of order is that?" She sighed quietly and took a long drink from her glass.

The moment she set down the glass and took a breath her face twisted into an expression of distaste. It was comparable to the face a human makes when they got a bone broken.

"If the taste is so bad why do you drink it?" Ivea asked nodding to the bottle.

Sam was silent for a moment before she answered, "Because at the bottom of this glass I'll find the answer to my question." Once again Ivea was confused.

"What question?" She sluggishly looked at him then at the glass.

She took a breath then brought the glass to her lips and gulped the last of the horrid liquid.

She coughed quietly and shook her head.

"Well I have a lot of questions from what the hell Cerberus is up planning to how I managed to score an amazing crewman like yourself." Ivea's cheeks were on fire as he looked down.

Sam laughed as she stared into his visor. "And the way you get all shy is adorable. Don't look so surprised, did you really think your visor would hide that blush?"

Ivea's throat was drier than a Krogan's taste in art. His heart was racing as his mind was blank.

What was he supposed to say to that?!

"I think it's just the cutest thing that you have a crush on me Ivea but would a Quarian even be able to be with a Human? I don't even know what you guys look like."

His stomach dropped as she asked the question that he'd been constantly pushing back. Could they be together?

Then his brain began to process the sentence. Was it an offer? If he said yes would she be willing to...no it was ridiculous. Even if they could work she could do better.

Ivea sighed quietly to himself as he looked down.

"Don't bum yourself out kid. I can see how you're always putting yourself down. Sometimes you just gotta ignore your rationality and take a leap. You never know it might work out." His heart rate doubled.

Constructing his omni-tool without his father's help was easier than sorting out the signals this Human was sending.

Did she like him? What was she saying? Is she trying to let him down easy?

"Ma'am I..." She held up a hand to cut him off.

"Please Ivea, just Sam. You're not one of the common troops. I trust you."

The last part of her sentence made his cheeks glow even brighter. She didn't seem to notice though she was simply looking at his hands which were folded on the table.

"S-Sam I...I'm not very good at th-this but I'm very...confused..." Sam laughed loudly at that.

"I'm just as confused trust me, this mission is a shitstorm." Ivea gulped as he took a deep breath.

"Sam..." He slowly unfolded his hands and laid them parallel on the table.

"I...I'm not talking about the mission..." His hand slowly slid across the table until his fingers lightly touched her hands.

She blinked and stared into his visor.

"Then what're you talking about?" The volume of her voice was much lower as the humming of the ship seemed louder.

"I...I don't know what you're trying to say Sam...asking about H...Human Quarian erm...rel...relationships but...Sam I...I..." He couldn't say it. He choked on the word. Love? No he couldn't say that they weren't even mating. Like? No that wasn't strong enough.

Then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was powerless to stop what happened with his old team in the Flotilla but by the Ancestors he was not powerless now!

He opened his eyes and slid his hands over Sam's as he whispered, "I wish to be your lifemate." Before he could stop himself he said it.

Almost immediately his body froze over. He was paralyzed.

How could he say that?! What was he thinking?!

"You...wanna date me?" She was obviously confused by the word. Ivea was panting, he couldn't stop himself from talking.

"N...No a lifemate is...one who is meant for you. One who was created just for you. What you feel they feel, where you go they go. A lifemate is...indescribable." Sam slowly nodded clearly trying to process it all.

"So it's like a soulmate?" Ivea took a deep breath to try and calm himself. He screamed in his head to stop! Go back! But he charged on.

"Kind of...But with a lifemate the bond is mental and even physical. If one is happy then the other is but if one is hurt then so is the other. Lifemates are bonded forever. If one dies the other is in a permanent state of mourning."

Sam was silent as Ivea held her hands. Just as always the silence was deafening.

"I can tell this means a lot to your people." She whispered, the seriousness of the conversation seemed to sober her up.

"More than anything. It is a huge part of our culture, I may say even bigger than our own suits or government." Sam was silent once more but didn't push Ivea away in disgust so that was something.

Then Something so unexpected happened Ivea almost screamed. She lightly squeezed his hands.

Just like that the ice in his veins melted and he felt as though he were on the surface of the sun but it didn't hurt.

Just a small squeeze of his hand and all of his troubles were gone.

"I...you're hand is so different from mine." She whispered staring off to the side. Ivea gulped as he slowly started to pull them back when she held on tighter, staring into his visor.

"I like that." His heart skipped a beat as his eyes went wide.

In a whole galaxy of people Ivea had just managed to find his lifemate, the one made for him. And just like that he felt as though his life were complete. Nothing could touch him now.

"But...I don't even know what your face looks like Ivea...How could we even..." Normally he wouldn't even be able to process what she was saying but he was surprisingly calm.

"Quarians can take antibiotics and imunio boosters, there are many things we can do to open ourselves to he outside for maybe an hour but we still run the risk of being sick as always. No matter what I will always run that risk if we are ever...together but Sam...I _want _to take that risk! I've never shown my face to anyone but my mother and father but...I want to show you." She was silent for a long time before she took a breath and nodded.

"I'm worried about the risks Ivea but...if you're certain you want to take that risk then...I'm game." He felt happier than he could ever recall. He truly found his lifemate.

"Well...the bathroom in my room has a decontamination cycle which makes it safe for me to remove my suit so I can clean...and if you were willing you could...wear your combat armor and seal yourself in...then I...could...could show you my...face." Ivea spoke barely above a whisper. He never thought in his whole life he'd say anything like this.

To his surprise Sam smiled as she let go of his hand and stood up.

"Well? Let's go, I'll suit up and meet you in your room in five. And don't think you can take advantage of me I'm barely tipsy." Ivea blinked as he shot upright.

"I-I would never!" Sam just laughed harder as she went off to get her armor and Ivea walked toward his room.

**. . . .**

No one onboard the _Hastings _saw the ship flying a few feet over them with it's stealth systems active which were modeled after the _Normandy._

They also didn't feel the slight shudder as a single person dropped from the ship onto the _Hastings _and hot wired the outer airlock to let them in without alarm.

They then sealed shut the outer airlock and opened the inner one.

They slid inside and took cover against a wall.

Across the visor of their helmet was a military I.D. Photo with the name Sam Johnson under it and the substantial amount of credits Cerberus was paying for her below that.

Suddenly a lone patrolman began walking down the hall toward the Assassin's position.

The Assassin took a deep breath and was pressed flat against the wall.

The patrolman walked down the hall until he stood with the Assassin right beside him.

He frowned as he felt the Assassin's presence and turned only to be struck directly in the throat. He tried to breath but gagged as he fell unconscious.

He began fall back but the Assassin grabbed him and slung him over their shoulder.

The Assassin backtracked to the airlock and silently laid down the patrolman then went back into the ship.

**. . . .**

Ivea and Sam stood within the bathroom as fog filled the room until they couldn't even see each other.

Finally there was a small chime that indicated the room was sterile.

Ivea took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

He was shaking.

He'd never been nervous to the point of shaking other than when he was forced on his Pilgramage.

"It's ok." He heard Sam's voice in front of him.

Just like that everything was just that, ok.

He slowly reached up and mentally ordered his suit to unlock the visor.

There was a quiet click then hiss as air escaped out of the seams.

He pulled off the visor and took a deep breath as he sat the visor on the sink to his left.

The air was chilly and almost burned his lungs.

Then he heard Sam step closer to him.

**. . . .**

The bridge was silent as the crew sat at their stations not noticing the Assassin who sat in the corner, looking at each of their faces.

The target wasn't there.

The Assassin silently left the bridge and began walking down the hall.

Not even a moment later a door to the Assassin's right opened revealing two soldiers standing there staring at the Assassin.

The three were standing in place until one soldier reached for his pistol and opened his mouth about to yell but he never did.

The Assassin was there in a flash with their right leg behind the soldier's and right arm snaked through the soldier's right arm, pulling it up with the Assassin shoving their fist into his mouth.

With a simple push the soldier tilted back and tripped over the Assassin's foot, the sheer shock of the lightning fast movement paralyzing the soldier.

He hit the ground hard and didn't even have time to blink before the Assassin kicked him in the side of the jaw knocking him out.

Then in one swift motion the Assassin twisted around and pulled the other soldier into the space between the Assassin's right arm and their body, slowly choking the soldier while the Assassin's left hand gripped the soldier's arm firmly, ensuring he couldn't grab his weapon.

When the soldier finally went limp the Assassin sat him down gently and grabbed the two by their collars, dragging them into the room they'd exited and locking the door.

The Assassin crept through the halls again.

**. . . .**

Although Sam had been intoxicated in the mess hall the talk had sobered her up better than any greasy burger ever could.

Now she stood in front of a Quarian without their mask.

Not just any Quarian but Ivea'Liak Nar Lavenya.

Ever since she saw him in that ally way she knew he was special.

She slowly reached up with her gloved hand and lightly touched Ivea's cheek.

He twitched lightly, obviously unused to touch by another person.

His skin was a mix of a Turian's with an Asari's it seemed slightly scaly like an Asari but tight like a Turian's.

His eyes were big, white, and glowed from the implants he had to connect him to his suit. He also had lines of glowing implants here and there.

His eyes were about a finger widths wider than a Human.

His skin was a pale white undoubtedly from being in the suit.

His nose was like a Turian's but wider. It was as though he was a Turian, Human, Asari hybrid. But his mouth was different.

His lips were thin barely anything at all.

It was no wonder he wasn't used to facial expressions, the lack of lips with the hardness of a Turian meant he didn't really have a wide variety of expressions.

But then...he smiled.

His teeth were white and pointed but they looked as though they'd been dulled down.

"They used to be sharp but after so long of us being in these suits and eating paste they just...dulled." He explained.

His voice without the electronic filter was so different...exotic even.

It sent shivers down her spine.

She lightly rubbed his cheek as he closed his eyes and took a breath.

His nostrils flared as a Turian's does.

He smiled.

"I've been practicing...smiling. After you described it on the Citadel I just had to figure out how to do it." He explained.

He was just so cute Sam couldn't take it.

"Now I understand how you feel in your suit. I just wish I could rip this suit off." Sam said with a chuckle.

Ivea looked down as his cheeks glowed purple.

"Thank god I'm sober right now or I'd ripped this suit off by now." Sam said with a laugh as she ran her hand down Ivea's neck to his chest.

Ivea looked up at her with his face still glowing.

"I can see this situation with Cerberus is getting to you. The drink, the fact you're always on the bridge and never rest, and the fact you've exercised so much you've gained 3x more muscle than you had in such a short amount of time. You're going to hurt yourself Sam and I..." He trailed off as he took a step closer causing Sam to tense up.

"I don't want anything to hurt you, even if it's yourself." He reached up and stroked the side of her helmet.

Before she knew it she was hugging him tightly.

"From the Citadel to the colony to now you're stilling looking out for me...thanks Ivea. I'll...I'll do my best to make this work." When she stepped back she saw he had a big grin on his face.

"Happy hm?" She asked with a smirk.

"After panicking all this time and finally telling you how I feel just to learn my feelings are returned? Yeah I'd say I'm happy." He said with a chuckle.

Then he cleared his throat and looked Sam in the eye.

"It's probably best if the crew didn't see our new relationship especially after the incident I had in the mess hall with the ex crew member." Ivea said as he grabbed Sam's hands. Now she was blushing.

She'd never heard him talk in such a wise manner before.

"I...Yeah you're right. But if you think you're getting away from me that easily you're wrong." Then Ivea smirked.

"Trust me Ma'am I would never want to."

"Damn it will you call me Sam?"


	11. Chapter 11: Drell?

Ivea smiled so widely that his cheeks hurt as he walked out of his room beside Sam.

He couldn't believe that creature like him could find someone as beautiful and incredible as her.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a figure with a hand outstretched wielding a weapon pointed towards...

"Sam!" He screamed as his body, on it's own, pulled out his pistol and fired a shot that hit the figure's gun directly.

The weapon shattered and dropped to the ground.

In a split second the Assassin leaped forward directly at Sam.

In a flash the Assassin was beside Ivea preparing for a fatal strike upon Sam.

Once again on instinct Ivea reached out with his left hand and wrapped his hand around the Assassin's throat so tightly it would've broken a human's bone.

He slammed the Assassin into the ground, holding firmly, and snarling ferociously.

Sam blinked and stood motionless.

Ivea knew she didn't have her weapon and had to protect her at all costs.

The Assassin sat motionless not trying to escape or even resist.

"Who are you?!" Ivea snarled but was only answered by silence.

He dropped the pistol that was in his right hand and firmly grabbed hold of the Assassin's mask.

With all of his strength he ripped it from the Assassin's face and threw it to the side.

A scaly dark green face stared up at him.

As the Assassin blinked there were two sets of eyelids.

"What...are you?" Ivea whispered.

"That's a Drell." Sam replied from behind him.

"I've never read of your kind before..." Ivea muttered with embarrassment.

The Assassin did not smile and did not frown they simply looked at Ivea with a straight face.

"Why are you here?" Ivea asked but once more the Drell did not answer.

Ivea squeezed the Assassin's neck harder which appeared to have an effect.

It wasn't anything major, it was the smallest twitch, so tiny Sam hadn't noticed.

"I...was sent to retrieve a target."

Ivea opened his mouth to question the Assassin when suddenly the Drell jabbed two fingers into the bottom of Ivea's wrist.

Suddenly Ivea's hand went numb and he lost control over it.

The Drell pushed Ivea's hand aside then slid behind him.

Before Ivea could react the Drell wrapped an arm around his neck and slowly squeezed.

Sam stepped forward to get the Drell off but she received a straight kick into her gut which knocked the wind from her lungs.

She keeled over in pain as the Drell continued slowly squeezing the air from Ivea's lungs.

His vision began to blur as his brain tingled.

Suddenly his eyes shot open.

He wouldn't let all he'd gained be taken away from him!

He grunted and growled as he leaned forward causing the Drell to lean on his back as his legs began to strain from him pushing them to their limits.

The Drell's face was the same blank expression as always when suddenly a small hint of surprise as Ivea began lifting the Drell off the ground.

Ivea screamed out with all his heart as he stood upright with the surprised Drell hanging onto his back.

He got low and leapt into the air then turned his back to the ground.

Now the hint of surprise dominated the Drell's face.

The moment they hit the ground the Drell's grip broke.

In a flash Ivea rolled onto his front and stood over the Drell.

"Now then, who sent you?!" Ivea yelled as he pressed his foot down on the Drell's throat.

The Drell locked eyes with Ivea.

"You fight well but with too much relying on instinct." Ivea frowned in confusion.

"What does that have to do with-" The Drell cut him off by punching the side of Ivea's knee which caused him to buckle.

Within that moment the Drell rolled to the side and jumped up.

Ivea got ready to fight but nothing came.

"Curious that your knee isn't shattered." Ivea frowned and looked at his knee which was fine.

"That was supposed to shatter my knee?" He asked in confusion.

"Yes I applied the proper amount of pressure and struck at the proper angle, by all means you shouldn't be able to walk. You're a strong one."

"Erm...thank you?" Ivea said confused.

He looked back and saw Sam was leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath.

"Turning away from your opponent is a deadly mistake however." When Ivea turned back the Drell was a few inches in front of him.

He jumped back in surprise and was about to fall over when the Drell grabbed him by the pouches going around his waist and pulled him back up.

"I would grab you by your hood but I understand you Quarians are very particular about it." He slowly nodded as he stepped back toward Sam while facing the Drell.

"I...appreciate that." The Drell gave a small simple nod.

"Samantha Johnson?" The Drell asked looking at Sam who slowly nodded.

"I was sent by Cerberus to collect you. However...this Quarian was an unexpected obstacle. As such I have terminated my contract with Cerberus and am now open to new contracts. I will now depart." The Drell turned and began to walk away when Ivea stepped forward.

"Wait! How much would your services cost?" The Drell stopped and stared ahead.

"I will train you." Ivea frowned in confusion.

"You'll train me? Wouldn't that mean I'd have to pay more?" The Drell shook it's head.

"Your form is embarrassing it'd be a disgrace to let this continue, knowing you'll stop embarrassing yourself will be payment enough." Ivea's face burned as the Drell smirked.

"My name is Alenia." The Drell said slightly bowing it's head.

Ivea frowned in confusion.

"Alenia? That sounds like a woman's name. Are you?" He asked hoping not to offend the Drell.

In reply the Drell stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before replying, "That would explain why I have breasts wouldn't it?"

Ivea's face burned as he looked down at the ground in humiliation.

"Sorry I didn't know." He muttered rubbing his left forearm.

Suddenly the Drell smiled.

"Don't worry, I wear this bulky suit for a reason. Men don't seem to want to hire females." Alenia looked over at Sam who stood up straight and stared back.

Then Alenia looked back to Ivea. "They must be intimidated."

Ivea gave a small chuckle but truth be told he was intimidated by her, her skills were incredible.

"Samantha, where shall I stay?" Alenia asked looking to Sam who was silent for a moment as she stared at Alenia.

"The cargo hold will have to do, I don't want the crew feeling uneasy around you." Alenia bowed her head in return.

"I see your logic. If you wish to find me I will be meditating there." Before leaving Alenia looked to Ivea.

"Your training will begin tomorrow, get rest." Then she turned and walked down the hall.

"Don't you need someone to show you there?" Ivea asked causing Alenia to stop and look back.

"Not required, I have the complete layout of the ship already...thank you though." Then she turned and continued to walk.

Ivea looked over at Sam who was still staring were Alenia was moments before.

"Sam?" Ivea asked.

She looked over but wore the same frown.

"She's a risk Ivea, why did you enlist her help?" He blinked in surprise then nervously fiddled with his pouches, he could feel the anger she felt.

"W...Well I just thought she'd be an asset to the mission and since she was in contact with Cerberus she may be able to tell us about them." Sam's frown seemed to only deepen however.

"That wasn't your call Ivea, you can't just recruit people for the mission." Ivea gulped as his legs locked.

"I...I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking I just wanted to help and-" Sam spoke up cutting him off.

"This isn't your ship Ivea." He froze as his heart skipped a beat.

_Wh...What? Not my ship? But...I thought I was a member of the crew...I thought that she accepted me! _

They both stood there for a tense minute before Ivea gave a single stiff nod then turned and began walking away.

Sam stood there a minute in confusion.

She wasn't an expert on body language like Quarians but she could see the obvious change in his body.

She silently nodded to herself thinking that he was upset.

But so was she, he couldn't just go around recruiting potential threats.

She was the Captain not him and she had to make that clear.

He just needed time to cool off as did she, besides, she needed to check with the bridge to see their status.

**. . . .**

The Illusive Man sat in his throne re-reading the termination message the Assassin sent him for the tenth time.

The phrase "_unforeseen obstacle_" stuck out to him.

He took his eyes off the message and stared into the star before him as he took a long drag off his cigarette.

"The Assassin has failed. Liquidate all resources at the Binthu research base." The Illusive Man ordered into a holoboard on his chair's arm.

Within a moment he was getting a call from the research base.

His eyebrows raise slightly at the speedy response.

He tapped the screen and spoke, "Were my orders unclear?"

"No sir but...We're so close to finishing the Enhanced Defense Initiative! If we had just a little more time we'll be all finished with the coding and be able to put in effect the shackles on ED-" The Illusive Man cut him off.

"My orders have been given and are to be carried out swiftly. You will be having company so I'd suggest you get to work." Before the scientist could reply he ended the call.

**. . . .**

Ivea stood in the bathroom with his visor in his hand as he stared at his face in the mirror.

His horrible face.

He glared at his own reflection with disgust.

_I thought I was finally accepted, that I'd finally found somewhere to belong. _

He shook his head as he looked down at the sink.

"I'm an idiot..." He whispered as he sat his mask on the top edge of the sink the gripped the sides.

His nostrils flared as he growled squeezing the sink harder.

"How could I be so stupid?!" He yelled shaking his head.

Sam's words endlessly echoed in his head.

"_This isn't your ship!" _

He slowly released the sink and leaned against the wall to his left.

"It's not...my ship." He whispered as he slowly slid down the wall and sat on the floor staring at the wall.

**. . . .**

Sam stood on the bridge with her hands clasped behind her back.

"The trip to Binthu is a long one but we should be there in about two days." The navigator confirmed to Sam.

Giving a nod she stared out through the view port at the tunnel they seemed to be flying through at FTL speed.

Even though she'd been on ships for so long it was still amazing how much Humanity had achieved in such short time.

"If anything happens I'll be in my quarters." She informed the crew then turned to leave.

**. . . .**

The next day Ivea got up and went straight to the cargo bay.

When he opened the door he saw it was empty save some stacked crates around the edges of the room.

Within the center Alenia sat cross legged facing him.

He took a step towards her before he noticed her eyes were closed.

"Erm...Alenia?" He called.

She opened her eyes and blinked rapidly before looking up at him.

"Forgive me I was in a trance. You are here for training?" He nodded as she stood up.

"Very well. First we will begin with your stance." Ivea nodded and stood there in as there was silence between the two.

"It would help if you showed me your stance." Alenia finally said as Ivea blinked realizing what she'd meant.

"O...Oh sorry, I don't um...have a stance really. The only time I've fought hand to hand I was...in a primal state." He said looking down in embarrassment.

His people were sophisticated and were past the times when they were tribal and animistic.

Whenever there was a fight on the Flotilla it was looked down on to give in fully to your primal side.

"There is no shame in that. Many people have only fought in such a state. I understand your people shame those who give in but there is none out here. Out here you must do what you can to survive." Ivea looked up in surprise with just how much this woman knew of Quarian culture.

"How do you know so much of us? It's one thing to know our history but you know our culture and even sociology!" He couldn't help but sound in awe of her knowledge.

Alenia chuckled lightly with a small smile.

"You flatter me, but it is my job to know about species so I can accomplish my missions efficiently. If I did not know of a Krogan's heavily plated skull then my shot would be useless. Instead it is more efficient to take out the legs then let the other Krogan take care of him for you." Ivea chuckled at the grim example.

"But how did you know about our knees?" Ivea asked crossing his arms.

"Something I picked up on the job, it is not a widely known fact." That made Ivea's blood turn to ice.

"You've killed Quarians?" He almost whispered.

She nodded stiffly.

"I have killed a member of all known races. It is rare to get a job on a Quarian but when one arises it is usually...simple."

Ivea twitched in anger but held his tongue as she continued.

"You Quarians have such weaknesses it's almost astounding. Your race has been dealt a bad hand, as Humans say, but I believe that is a massive understatement."

Ivea's rage subsided as he realized she was right.

Like it or not Quarians had many crucial weaknesses that made combat much more difficult.

"How would you take a Quarian down?" He asked as he uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.

"First it is a natural assumption that they have modified shields which would require two or even more shots which is unacceptable. So instead I must get in close. I would blend in with the crowd and become unnoticable." She began explaining as she began walking towards him.

"I would follow the flow of the crowd but gradually grow nearer. I would not stare as that is a giveaway."

She stood within four feet of him when she crossed the gap in a flash and brought her right hand up with her fingers fully extended up and into the bottom of his head where his suit was unprotected.

She pulled back and didn't strike but on instinct Ivea jumped back and swatted her arm away with his right hand.

She grabbed his right arm with her right had and brought her left hand forward wrapping her fingers around his visor.

His eyes went wide as he pushed her her hand away with his left.

Still holding his right arm she grabbed his left then snaked her left leg around his right leg and pushed her weight against him causing him to fall back but before he hit the ground he felt her pull on him and lighten the impact.

When he opened his eyes Alenia's face was above him with his arms still being held by her.

"The initial strike is to get them in a panicked state where they rely on instinct. Naturally they will swat away my hand. I grab their hand to immobilize them and prevent their escape. Grabbing their visor is also a facade to get the other arm within my grasp. Once both arms are secured I apply the proper torque on their wrists and break their wrists then get them on the ground. They will be immobilized by pain and unable to prevent me from removing their visor. To be certain the job is done I may cough on them." There was a deafening silence in the cargo hold as Alenia sat on Ivea's chest holding both of his arms still.

"The last part was a joke." She explained as Ivea sighed to himself quietly.

"What was your first job with a Quarian like?" He asked curiously.

She looked down then back at him.

"It was a long time ago on a Human colony she'd stopped at on her Pilgrimage." Suddenly her eyes went wide as the glance rapidly from side to side as her grip on his arms tightened.

"Sun shining. Cool breeze. Target spotted. Red cloth with dull blue plates. Confused body expressions. Ignored by Humans. Alone. Easy target." The she blinked and looked back at Ivea normally once more.

"I...apologize." She whispered releasing his arms.

"Wh...What was that?" Ivea breathlessly asked.

"Drell posses eidetic memory. It is when memories are triggered and we become enveloped in them. They can be mistaken for reality oftentimes. It is...involuntary some times."

"Is it painful?" Ivea wondered if maybe she could be hurt by a memory of a wound.

"It can be. I believe your lesson is completed for today." She got off him and went back into the center of the room sitting back down with her legs crossed.

Ivea slowly arose and stared at her.

"Thank you." He finally said as she gave a single nod.


	12. Chapter 12: Enhanced Defense Initiative

Ivea's breath was caught in his throat as he stood erect with his back pressed against the wall and his pistol in his hands.

On the other side of the door frame he leaned against was Sam he looked up at him and gave a small nod.

He closed his eyes and activated his omni-tool.

He could hear the silent patter of boots on the other side of the door but the moment he successfully unlocked the door everything stopped.

Alenia stood behind Ivea silently breathing deeply.

Sam motioned for Alenia to advance forward to scout it out.

Alenia gave a nod and opened the door then immediately ran silently into the shadows and seemed to disappear.

Sam looked to Ivea and gave a small nod.

It was his turn now.

He ran in quietly and took cover behind a nearby crate.

He typed on his omni-tool then waited a moment.

A light blinked over his hand which meant his scan of nearby body heat was complete.

He frowned at the scanner which only picked up his and Sam's readings not even Alenia's heat was showing up.

_Looks like I have to do it the old fashioned way._

He slowly peeked up and narrowed his eyes.

Nothing.

There wasn't anything but crates littered around the research base.

No people that he could or his scanners could see.

But his training with Alenia taught him even now there could be something he's missing.

He took a deep breath and began to speedily move forward to the next cover while staying low.

Still nothing.

_Something feels wrong._

He peeked up again and shook his head.

Whatever was here was waiting for him to show his face.

If he went any further he'd be in the middle of the room with only a small crate for cover.

_Don't do it don't do it._

He sighed and shook his head, there was no other option.

He sprang up and began running towards the door across the wide open room.

Suddenly he heard a woman scream viciously as the ground beneath him exploded, sending him airborne.

Suddenly his head was where his feet was and he was falling.

He slammed into the ground head first and fell on his back with his suit absorbing most of the impact.

He blinked rapidly as he immediately went into combat mode.

Using the momentum of the biotic explosion that sent him into the air he tucked his legs in and rolled back onto his feet.

Panting, he sprinted towards the nearby cover and skidded behind it.

He couldn't identify where the woman was based on that explosion by any means.

However, that scream gave her away. She was on the upper level directly in front of his cover.

With a smirk Ivea began to grab a grenade off of his belt.

With his new modifications to it it would freeze her solid and-

Suddenly he couldn't move.

No he was moving but he was moving...up towards the ceiling!

His eyes began darting around looking for some explanation, any!

He looked down and saw a giant glowing ball of biotic energy.

It was then he remembered of the technique many used called a 'singularity'.

He floated helplessly in the air with the crates floating all around him.

His heart sped as he locked eyes with the woman in control of the singularity.

She smirked and raised a pistol at his visor.

Suddenly a rain of gunfire erupted from down below causing the woman to fall back to avoid being filled with holes.

"IVEA GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Sam screamed as she continued holding the trigger to keep the woman from poking her head up.

"I-I really would if I could!" Ivea yelled back simply floating around, unable to move.

_I've been up here for so long! These biotics..._

Sam cursed loudly as her assault rifle hissed just as loud while it vented the heat it built up from such a long barrage.

She narrowed her eyes as she made a split second decision.

She threw it down on the ground as she sprinted toward the singularity.

"ALENIA COVER FIRE!" She screamed as she kicked a box in front of her into the singularity.

It hit the ball of energy and slowly began floating up as pistol shots rang out from the shadows across the room aimed at the biotic above.

Sam sprinted and jumped on the box she kicked and pushed off as hard as she could sending her flying towards Ivea who still floated helplessly.

She winced as she felt the lack of control she had while in this singularity but still flew up at Ivea.

The two slammed into each other causing Ivea to get knocked out of range of the singularity.

Suddenly everything slowed down as he flew a little higher toward the ceiling and began falling.

He saw the biotic slowly began to stand up from her cover as the barrage from Alenia ended.

He saw her frown as she began aiming her pistol at Sam who still floated helplessly.

Ivea's eyes went wide as he whipped his pistol out and in a moment took aim, then fired directly at her skull.

The shot tore clean through and ended the singularity causing the two to slam into the ground.

Ivea slowly stood up and cracked his neck with a growl as his adrenaline slowly began to fade.

He looked over to same who laid on the ground moaning and grabbing her head.

Ivea ran over and knelt down.

"Sam?!" Ivea yelled as he held her up in his arms.

She quietly chuckled and looked up at him.

"I saved your life _again_. And to repay me you let me fall on my head." Ivea's eyes went wide as he bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to...if I could've helped I-" Sam began laughing, cutting him off.

"What no Captain in there?" Ivea frowned in confusion.

"C-Captain? But you said it wasn't my ship, I am not apart of your crew."

Now Sam frowned in confusion.

"What? No I meant you weren't the Captain. Jeez you mean all this was over a mistranslation?" Ivea began laughing, filled with relief.

"I-I believe so...Captain."

"Oh stop you're gonna make me blush, now help me get up crew member!" Ivea lifted her with ease and sat her down on her feet.

She swayed at first but then stood upright.

"Right, Alenia? Report?" Suddenly the Drell jumped down from the second level.

"I have killed the remaining guards who were attempting to hide. There is nothing more up there."

Sam nodded with a frown and looked at the door across the room Ivea was originally running to.

"Looks like it's door number two then."

**. . . .**

The door slid open revealing computer the size of the wall with only a small holo projecter in front of it.

Ivea slowly walked in then waved for the other two.

He went up to the projector and activated it.

A tiny sphere appeared before him and blinked with every word, "Welcome to the Enhanced Defense Initiative compound. How may I help you?"

Ivea looked to Sam then to the computer.

"What is this place?" He asked looking all around the otherwise empty room.

"_Error. Data missing._"

The machine hissed in a very inorganic tone.

Ivea frowned and stared at the sphere.

"What is the purpose of this compound?"

"_Error. Data missing._"

Ivea hissed quietly as he curled his hands into fists.

"What is the Enhanced Defense Initiative?"

"_Error. Da-_"

"YOU BOSH'TET I'LL PULL YOU OUT OF THERE AND SCRAP YOU!" Ivea screamed as the computer was silent.

"This machine has encountered an error in processing your request, please contact New Dawn Pharmaceuticals." Then the machine was gone.

Ivea turned to Sam who frowned at the ground.

"That name...I remember hearing it somewhere...anyway let's head back for now, we got all we can get."

**. . . .**

"Why exactly were your people still there?" The Illusive Man growled into his holo pad on the arm of his chair.

"_I-I'm sorry sir I told them to purge the computer's memory and leave but they stayed behind and-_"

The Illusive man cut him off with a deep frown.

"And now they have a lead to go off of. Your services are no longer required." He growled and ended the call.

Immediately he dialed another number.

"See to it the head of the EDI project is taken care of."

Then he ended the call and took a long drag off his cigarette clearing his head off all his stress.

**. . . .  
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"That's why it sounded so familiar." Sam said shaking her head as the three stood within an empty room with only a rectangular table and seven chairs with one at the head of it.

"I read an Alliance report of suspicious activity from that corporation involving suspicious amounts of funds coming and going. What are we supposed to do with that though?" She whispered to herself shaking her head again.

Ivea sat quietly at the table and looked across the table where Alenia sat quietly with her hands resting on the table and her eyes closed.

Then Ivea looked up at Sam who stood against the wall behind the chair at the end of the table.

"Well I could get into their system and schedule a meeting with the head person there. We could question them on their activity with Cerberus." Ivea spoke up causing Sam to look over with a raised eyebrow.

"Could you really do that?"

Ivea bit his lip lightly and nodded.

"Yeah but I need some time and a computer. As much as I love my omni-tool it's not powerful enough for what I need."

Sam slowly nodded.

"I have one in my cabin you can use. Dismissed." Alenia got up and left for the cargo hold and Sam went to her cabin leaving Ivea in the meeting room staring at the same wall with his heart racing.

"Y...Your...cabin?" He whispered.


	13. Chapter 13: New Dawn Pharmaceuticals

Ivea took a deep breath as he stood within the massive lobby of the New Dawn Pharmaceuticals corporate building. 

He looked to his right where Sam stood with a straight and confident stance.

She wore a black dress that fell down to her feet and her hair was tied up in the usual tight bun.

She glanced over at Ivea and nodded toward the front desk.

He breathed deeply once more and nodded to himself as he began walking towards it.

He couldn't exactly dress up but he shined his visor just for this.

As the two walked through the lobby they attracted more than a few stares from patrons scattered around the room.

They also attracted the attention of the security guards standing in front of the hallway which was behind the front desk.

As they arrived at the front desk Ivea cleared his throat causing the woman to look up.

"Yes?" She asked with a very cautious tone.

"Erm, we have an appointment." Ivea replied with a nod as he stood rigidly.

The woman raised a single eyebrow and looked him up and down.

Ivea knew what she was doing, she was reading his body language.

Looking for the smallest hint of weakness.

However, being a Quarian Ivea knew just how to fool someone using body language.

He remained stiff but not too stiff, with his head held high giving an aura of superiority.

"Name?" She asked seemingly satisfied. 

"Perro vas Qwib Qwib." Ivea replied with a nod filled with faked pride.

The woman was silent a moment as she looked through and found his name he put into their systems.

She gave a single nod.

"Take the elevator in the hall behind me to the top floor."

Ivea gave a nod and walked proudly around the desk to the hall which had two elevators on the left and right.

He pushed the button and waited a moment before entering the door which opened before him.

The moment the doors closed he released a long withheld breath and slumped down.

Sam giggled and pushed the button for their destination.

Ivea stared at the window which was straight ahead when walking in.

Before them was a breathtaking view of Earth.

Sam moved beside Ivea with a smile.

"Welcome to Earth, it's the pride and joy of humanity." She announced with a small smile.

Ivea looked over and chuckled.

"It sounds like you'd prefer a colony world compared to all this." Sam gave a small, sad nod.

Ivea chuckled and looked back out.

"I've finally seen your home world. Maybe someday you can see mine." Ivea said with a smile.

Sam looked over at him with a smirk.

"Taking me to meet the parents hm? That's a big step." Immediately Ivea's face began to burn.

"I...My parents are dead I'm afraid." He quietly whispered looking down.

Sam looked over and placed her left hand on the right side of his helmet turning his head to face hers.

"Hey...mine too." She said with a small smile.

_Her version of a joke?_

He sighed quietly to himself and chuckled.

Suddenly the elevator stopped and dinged as the doors opened.

Ivea froze as before them was a squad of five men in combat gear and assault rifles aimed right at them.

In a split second Sam pushed him to the side away from the open door as she moved into cover on the other side.

"Looks like the jig is up!" Sam screamed over the roar of gun fire as she pulled the bottom of her dress up to grab her pistol strapped to her thigh.

Ivea blinked rapidly as his brain finally caught up to all that was happening.

He quickly brought up his omni-tool and began going into their systems to get the elevator moving again.

He hissed in irritation as he continued to type furiously into into it.

"Whenever you're ready Ivea!" Sam yelled as she blindly shot her pistol from behind her cover.

One of the guards grunted in pain as a shot tore through his shields and struck his shoulder.

"T...They locked everything down! I've never seen this kind of security before! The codes are changing so fast it's almost like they have an AI!" Ivea yelled back as he blinked rapidly trying every conceivable method.

Sam growled as she loaded her last thermal clip and laid her head back against the wall.

Ivea slammed his omni-tool against the wall as he screamed in anger.

"Bosh'tet!" He screamed as he brought out his pistol and loaded it. 

Sam looked over as he looked back.

She was depending on him.

If he failed now they would both die.

He couldn't let that happen.

He couldn't let her die.

He took a deep breath as he brought his omni-tool back up and directed all power in his suit to his shields.

Sam frowned in confusion as Ivea stood up and took one last breath of air before diverting power from his suit's filtration system to his shields.

He could feel the heat from his shield's battery as it was overloading.

_This is such a bad idea._

He opened slowly began to exhale as he stepped out from his cover and brought his pistol up aiming at the nearest guard's head.

He squeezed the trigger as his pistol jumped and the shot tore through the guard's shield and went through his skull.

Ivea began to reload his pistol as shots slammed into his shields causing him to stumble back.

He winced as he brought his pistol up again aiming at the next.

He squeezed the trigger and took another life.

He began reloading once more as a warning flashed across his visor warning him of low shields.

He ignored it as he took aim at the third man.

Another life taken by him.

The two men left reloaded quickly with fear in their eyes as they fired once more on Ivea's shields.

Ivea began feeling weak from lack of oxygen but slowly and shakily raised his pistol up toward one of the guard's.

He slowly squeezed the trigger as his pistol kicked harder than Ivea could handle and flew out of his hand and landed on the floor.

The guard fell to the floor with a hole in his skull.

The last guard grunted as he struggled to aim his rifle at Ivea from his shoulder wound that Sam gave him.

Ivea slowly blinked as his shields failed and a shot ripped right through his side causing him to stumble back against the window with a grunt.

"Goddamn it!" Sam screamed as she jumped out of cover and fired four shots at the guard lowering his shields and ending his life. 

Sam ran over to Ivea who stood against the glass gasping as air hissed into his suit.

"Ivea!" She yelled as he blinked rapidly and applied medi-gel over the wound in his right side.

"I...I'm here." He gasped as he held his right hand over his right side groaning.

"You idiot! What was that?!" Sam yelled as she dropped her pistol and moved his hand away from the wound, examining it.

"I...I reverted power...from all systems...to shields." Ivea gasped as he finally got her back into his lungs.

"Even...Even life support." He winced as Sam applied a little more medi-gel.

"Here you didn't apply enough. That was stupid Ivea. You never throw yourself into gunfire. You always stay in cover or you'll get yourself killed." She locked eyes with him and sternly lectured him.

Ivea stared back at her.

"You didn't have anymore ammo." Ivea countered.

"That doesn't matter. You should've stayed behind cover and picked them off one by one. Power up your shields and shoot them from behind cover." Ivea looked down with his face burning.

"Sorry I...I just wanted to protect you..." Ivea weakly replied as he looked down.

Sam sighed and shook her head.

"I'm a big girl Ivea, I don't need protection. I need a soldier who's there to watch my back, not someone who throws themselves into gunfire." Sam replied with a smile.

Ivea slowly nodded and looked up at her.

"I'm sorry ma'am I'll try and remember that." Sam chuckled and nodded.

"Good we might make a soldier out of you yet. Now let's find some steps so we can get to the head honchos office." Sam ordered as she turned and began picking up some clips from the fallen guards.

"H...Honcho?" Ivea stammered in confusion.

He heard Sam quietly chuckle.

"Never mind let's get going."

**. . . .**

The door slid open before Ivea and Sam as they walked in with pistols raised.

Inside was a wide open room with a single desk straight ahead and a giant window behind it.

Seated at the desk was an older man with short brown hair with streaks of white showing.

"Excuse me I've been having some problems with a terminal on Binthu." Sam called out as the Man behind the desk raised a single eyebrow.

"So...you've broken into a pharmaceuticals company, killed the security force, and broken into my office to say you've had problems with a computer?" Ivea peeked over at Sam who had a frown.

"He has a point." Ivea whispered.

Sam ignored him and slowly walked forward.

"What do you know about Cerberus?" Sam demanded as she kept her pistol aimed at the Man's head.

He frowned as he stared at her.

"They're a terrorist group that-" A shot screamed past his head only inches away.

"Don't bullshit me!" Sam screamed as the Man growled.

"Even if I did know something I wouldn't tell someone who keeps the company of a _suit rat_." The man spat not even looking over at Ivea.

Sam's eyes narrowed as she gripped her pistol tighter.

She walked around the desk and pressed her pistol against he side of his head.

"Listen you piece of filth. The only thing I hate more than big cities is racists. Considering we've got both here I'd be more than happy to at least eliminate one of them."

The Man narrowed his eyes as he looked up at her without moving his head.

Kill me if you want, you'll never get past our system's security." Sam looked over at Ivea who was typing furiously on his omni-tool.

He looked over at the two.

"They definitely have an AI, there's no VI that learns like this." The Man smiled triumphantly as he opened his mouth.

"_However,_" Ivea continued. "I _am _a Quarian, it took a little time but I've got everything we could need." The Man's eyes went wide as he looked up to Sam.

"Even if you try you cannot stop us! Cerberus cannot fail!" He yelled as Sam frowned.

"I have half a mind to kill you but-" She was cut off by a loud gasp from Ivea.

She looked over and saw him frozen in place staring outside the window.

Sam slowly turned and froze.

A massive white and yellow frigate was breaking through the clouds and sitting a short distance from the building.

Ivea and Sam sat in place with wide eyes.

Suddenly a wave of missiles and shots was fired and flying straight at the building.

Ivea looked over at Sam who was still for a moment then aimed her pistol at the window.

"JUMP!" She screamed as she opened fire and jumped through the broken glass.

"SAM!" Ivea screamed as he jumped after her.

He saw her falling below him guiding herself into the line of traffic.

_She's going to land on an air car?!_

Ivea adjusted his course so he sped up and went beside her.

"GET READY!" She screamed.

He traced her eyes and saw the car she was aiming for.

"KEELAH SE'LAI!" Ivea screamed as he braced for impact.

They slammed on the car causing it to drop a few feet and the driver to scream.

Sam screamed in pain as she grabbed her knee which was dislocated.

Ivea's suit absorbed the impact but he grunted in pain from the wound he still had in his side.

Sam applied some Medi-gel then opened the car manually and jumped in with Ivea.

The driver looked at them with wide eyes as Sam pushed him into the back seat.

"Sorry." She growled as she gunned it away from the building.

The wave of missiles and shots slammed into the building cutting it in half and causing it to fall onto itself, effectively flattening it as Sam, Ivea, and the paralyzed driver drove off towards the spaceport.


End file.
